Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations Scrapbooks 2009 by Molstead Library at North Idaho College

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Hwnan Rights Institute Presents speaker Daughter of Desmond Tutu to lecture on equality during annual rights banquet Eschelle Lecbot Staff Conttibutor

Internationally known speaker and daughter of Desmond Tutu will

speak at the 12th annual Human

Rights Banquet Monday, March 16, 7 p.m. in the Coeur d'Alene Inn. Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a South African cleric and activist who rose to worldwide fame during th 1980s a an opponent of apartheid, became the second South African to be awarded th Nobel Peace Prize. He continues to defend human rights and campaign for the oppressed. He also fights AIDS, homophobia, poverty and racism. Nontombi Naomi Tutu, born in Krugersdorp, South Africa, third

daughter of Desmond Tutu and hi wife Nomalizo, founded the Tutu Foundation, which helpsAfrican refugees in African countries. 111 foundation also gave refugees cholarships so that they could learn skills to help them become elfsupporting. Tutu was born in South Africa and ha lived in Lesotho, the United Kingdom and the United States. She was educated in Swaziland, the U.S. and England and has divided her adult life between South Africa and the U.S. Tutu, an international human relations scholar and .human rights activist, has faced many challenge from growing up black and female in apartheid South Africa. She has

found her own place in the world and given her voic a. a champion for the dignity of all by s rving a adevelopmentconsultant in We t Africa and program coorclinator for programs on race gender and gender-based violence in education at the African Gender lnstilut . She ha also taught at the University of Hartford and Brevard College and is a consultant to piritual Alliance to Stop Intimate Violence ( AIV) and the Foundation for Ho pice in Sub-Saharan Africa

(FHSSA). Tutu b gan h r puolk speaking as a college stud nt in Kentucky during the '70s. Sh pok at churches, community groups, colleges and universities about her

experienc s growing up in Apartheid South Africa. Since U1at time, she ha become a popular speaker worldwid . Her presentation's blend the passion for human dignity with humor and personal torie . Join the ,Kootenai County Ta k Force in welcoming M . ontombi Naomi Tutu for an evening of great food , entertainment and knowledge. Hear how he share her journ y through apartheid and how her commitment Lo human right has taught her not to judge purely on physical attribute . A rec ption begins at 6 p.m. with dinn r at 7 p.m .. Tickets are $35 per person. For more information call TI1e Hwnan Rights Education Institute at (208) 232-2359.

'A www.cdapress.com -

Tuesday March 17 2009

H E olds annual H man Rights Ban et

SHAWN GUST/f'

Nontombi Naomi Tutu, daughter of Archbishop Desmond Tutu and keynote speaker, left, talks with Monica Walters, former director of the YWCA of Spokane, Monday evening at the Human Rights Education lnstitute's annual banquet at the Coeur d'Alene Inn.

Tutu speaks of healing Civil Rights Award presented to Mary Lou, Scott Reed By MAUREEN DOLAN Staff writer

COEUR d'ALENE- When Nontombi Naomi Tutu speaks, her message is rich with stories from her own life experiences. The daughter of South African Archbishop and Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu and his wife Nomalizo was the keynote speaker Monday at the 12th annual Human Rights Banquet sponsored by the ' Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations and the Human Rights Education Institute. "I talk about healing the wounds of racism and I come to that from a South African perspective having grown up in apartheid South Africa and then coming through a process of truth and reconciliation to the beginning, the building of a new South Africa, a South Africa that views all of its citizens as being wor-

''The first step is to speak the truth. Admit and celebrate that we see difference. I think we have to start by accepting that there are wounds.'' NONTOMBI NAOMI TUTU, keynote speaker thy, worthy human beings, worthy citizens, people with much to offer our country," Tutu said. Now an international relations scholar, Tutu has lived in and traveled through many countries and said she sees the need for healing in many places including the United States. 'The first step is to speak the truth. Admit and celebrate that we see difference," Tutu said. "I think we have to start by accepting that there are wounds." She said she meets people who say they do not see race and that scares her. "If we cannot at least admit that that exists within us then how can we start to heal? How can we move forward?" she said.

Often people tell her that children don't see race, but Tutu disagrees. She said children see difference, but they welcome it as something amazing, a chance to learn something new. Tutu said if we allow them to ask questions and acknowledge those differences, they learn. But more often, we scare them into silence. She encouraged people not to remain silent "We have to talk about the whole story and once we do we actually discover that it opens for us real opportunities for not just friendship, but for growth in our communities. It doesn't just simply open up for us an opportunity to heal, but it opens

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up for us an opportunity to be great," Tutu said. "I challenge you to speak the truth, to tell your whole story and listen to the whole stories of those you know as other." During the banquet, the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations presented its annual awards. The Civil Rights Award went to two people this year: Mary Lou and Scott Reed. Criteria for the honor include a long history of active commitment to human rights issues, support of equality for all persons and a refusal to remain silent in the face of hate, bigotry and discrimination. Mary Lou was a founding member and first president of what is now the Human Rights Education Institute. As an Idaho state senator from 1984-1996, she sponsored several major civil rights laws including the 1990 creation of an Idaho state holiday honoring Dr. Âˇ Martin Luther King Jr. She is a board member of the

Gonzaga University Institute for Action Against Hate. Scott is an attorney known for his expertise in environmental and civil liberties litigation. He has served as a key legal adviser for 28 years to the KCTFHR with a special emphasis on the First Amendment and was the key drafter in 1986 of the civil remedies addition to the 1983 Idaho Malicious Harassment Law. The Reeds have been major financial contributors to a variety of civil rights organizations through the Margaret Reed Foundation in honor of Scott's mother, the late Margaret Reed. Borah Elementary School principal Bob Shamberg received the KCTFHR and the HREl's annual Bill Wassmuth Memorial Volunteer-of-the-Year Award. "It is with great satisfaction that we honor these very deserving individuals for their many years of dedication to human rights and support for the rights of all people," said Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations Board member and spokesman Tony Stewart.

The North Idaho College Music Department presents

Featuring the NIC Jazz Ensemble members of the NIC Jazz Co. and special student oloists.

7:30 p.m. Thursda10 Mar~h 19 Boswell Hall Schuler Performing Arts Center

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Jazz Enscmbl

This concert is presented as part of a new annual series that aims to celebrate the human spirit and recognize the power of collaboration toward a common good. The series is named in honor of Tony Stewart, a longtime NIC instructor and human rights leader, who is a champion of these ideals and who has inspired many both locally and worldwide.

NIC Jazz Ensemble "Night Flight" ..................................................by Sammy Nestico Soloists George Conrad on piano Alex Carr on tenor sax

Dave Cooper on trumpet James Schmehl on vibes "Stardust" ................................................. arr. by Tommy Newsom Featuring Dave Cooper on trumpet

NIC Jazz Ensemble "In A Mellow Tone" .................................... arr. by Oliver Nelson

Soloist "Noodl.ing"

"Polka Dots and Moonbeams" .............................. by Bill Holman Featuring Tanner Brown on bass "The Fool On the Hill/Blackbird" ........... arr. by Frank Mantooth "Ain't Misbehavin" ......................................... ..... arr. by Jeff Jarvis

Featuring Soloists

Tim Wood on clarinet Lane Sumner on guitar

"Here's That Rainy Day" ................................. arr. by Dee Barton Featuring The trombone section Soloist David Cooper on trumpet "Songorama" ... ... ............. ...................................... by Victor Lopez

Soloists

Brady Espland on trombone Chris Waltrip on alto sax

"Lonely Immortal" ...... .... .. ................. ............ ....... by Tom Dossett

Featuring

Alex Carr on tenor sax

Jazz Co., small "Blue for Elise" ............................. ........................ arr. Ken Kraintz "A Day in the Life of a Fool" ......................... arr. Paris Rutheford "Blue Skies" ........................................................ arr. Deke Sharon

"Bop t·1c1ty · " .............................................. .............. arr. K·IIk M arcy

vocalist Cody Bray

"Cottontail" .. .. ...... ........................................... by Duke Ellington

"Seven Come Eleven" ................ .............. arr. by Frank Mantooth

Featuring

Dave Cooper on trumpet George Conrad on piano

Philip Aarhus on trumpet Tim Wood on tenor sax Luke Morfitt on bari sax

North Idaho College Jazz Ensemble Saxophones Chris Waltrip Tim Strick.land Tim Wood Kelly Piploy Luke orfitt Trumpets

David Cooper Pete Obligate Phil Aarhus Slayler Slothower

»ombones Tim Sandford Russell Coler Jobn Mueller Brady Espeland Man Barkley Rhythm Section

George Conrad - piano Lane, Sumner - guitar Tanner Brown - basses Greg Smatlan - percussion James Schmehl · percussion

Jazz Co. Renei Yarrow

Patti Torok-Pierce Laurie A1ker Cody Bray Jon Camey

Rhythm Section

LeeAnn Aerlyn, piano Tanner Brown, bass

James Schmel. drums

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The fliers, distributed in a Coeur d'Alene subdivision, were signed "Aryan Nations, Church of Jesus Christ Christian."

Racist group leaves fliers on lawns

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dA neighborh od targeted for recruitm nt BY ALISON BOGGS Staff wnter

Residents of a north Coeur d'Alene subdivision awoke Friday to fin d racist fliers on their lawns, distributed as recruitment letter by Aryan Nations a white supremacist group.q "I saw Aryan Nations and put it in the b·ash ' said Garvin Jones, who lives in the neighborhood southwest of Atlas Road and Prairie Avenue. "What's wrong with these people? Give me a break. I bet if you went back in their family history, not one is 100 percent white." Jones and dozens of his neighbors found the Diers on their lawns, inside baggies that also held mall rocks. They depicted a girl asking her father what he did during the "revolution ' and asking "Where have all the White people gone dadd ?' and "Why did those dark men take mommy away?" The fliers were signed 'Aryan Nations, Church of Jesus Christ Chri tian," and listed a post office box and a Web site. The group' address i See FLIERS, A7

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listed as "Couer d'Alene, Idaho." The Aryan Nations Web site lists Jerald O'Brien and Michael Lombard as the "pastors" who have taken over after longtime leader Richard Butler's death in September 2004. O'Brien said area residents can expect the dissemination of "a lot more" fli rs and said "like-minded individuals will respond and seek membership. ' He said the election of President Barack Obama has erved as the "greatest recruiting tool ever." He said he had "several handfuls" of members in Coeur d Alene. The Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations which has fought the Aryan Nations for decades - condemned the £lier distribution and offered its services to anyone who was threatened or harassed. "It's bound to be a small group of people trying once again to bring hate into the community. They don't have anywhere to operate from except a post office box ' said Tony Stewart, a spokesman for the task force. People in the community, be added "will reject it as they have in the past. Anyone who feels intimidated should take comfort in the fact that the people are here for them, and we are here for them." Several re idents of the neighborhood that received the £liers were interviewed for this story but most of them asked not to be named out of fear of retribution. All of those interviewed expressed shock, disgust or anger at the fliers. At least two called the police. One caller was a 22-year-old white woman who has a 4-year-old African-American son.

KA THY PLONKA The Spokesman-Rev ew

Garvin Jones lives In the neighborhood targeted with the racist fliers. "What's wrong with these people?" he asked.

"My son's black, so it's not OK, said the woman, who asked only to be identified as Chelsee B. She said she was afraid to let her son play outside. Coeur d'Alene Police Department Sgt. Christie Wood said no investigation would be conducted, because the distribution of fliers is protected as free speech under the First Amendment. She added, however, that targeting people for harassment based on race i a crime and should be reported. Stewart said hate speech is protected, but hate crimes are not. He encouraged any member of the public with concerns about racial harassment to contact the task force at (208) 7653932. The Aryan Nations was effectively bankrupted on Sept. 7 2000, when a Kootenai County jury returned a $6.3 million verdict against the organization its founder, Butler, and three former members. The verdict in the civil trial found that Butler and his organization were guilty of gross negligence in appointing security guards who carried out an assault against two people driving past

their property. When Butler lost his 20-acre compound near Hayden Lake as a result of the outgrowth of a civil suit in 2000, millionaire racist Vincent Bertollini bought Butler a home in Hayden. It served as the Aryan Nations headquarters until Butler's death in 2004. A new Alabama location for the "Ary311 Nations World Headquarters" was posted on the group' Web ite soon aft~r Butler's death. A splinter group set up shop in Pennsylvania. O'Brien, however, said the "world headquarters" of the organization is now in Coeur d' Alene in a location that i "membership privileged information only." He acknowledged that he lives in a home on the east side of downtown Coeur d'Alene that .regularly flies two white supremacist flags. Newspaper files show O'Brien marching in a neo-N azi parade in Coeur d'Alene in July 2004 and joining in a skinhead rally that drew eight people outside the Spokane County courthouse in June 2007. O'Brien has a large swastika tattoo on his scalp.

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Harwood: U.S. a confederacy Mea ur as rt Idaho verei nty

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BY BETSY Z. RUSSELL

BOISE - Promoting his state sovereignty resolution on the floor of the Idaho House of Repre entatives on Monday, t. Maries Rep. Dick Harwood declared that the United States i really a "confederacy." "To be accurate, we're a confederated r public," the fifth-term Republican then told the House. Note eryone was buying it. Rep. George Sayler, DCoeur d'Alene a retired high school government teacher attempted a qujck rebuttal. "The Constitution clearly tates that ... we the people do Harwood ordain and establish this government, ' he told the House. "Our government is a government of the people and by the people and for the people. It js not a compact of states. "I think that issue was further defined

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Continued from A1 during the Civil War." But Sayler's comments did little to change the tenor of the debate and Harwood's resolution affirming Idaho's sovereignty won easy approval in the Republican-dominated House. Harwood's effort left some people shaking their heads. Political scientists said Harwood's description of the U.S. as a confederacy is dead wrong, and a longtime Kootenai County human rights activ:ist criticized Harwood's use of the term. "It's a Âˇvery offensive term for minority communities in our country, like African-Americans " said Tony Stewart, a board member and co-founder of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations, and a retired political scientist at North Idaho

College. "That whole term refers to the period of slavery." Steve Shaw, a professor of political science at Northwest Nazarene University, said the United States is neither a unitary system, where the federal government is all-powerful, nor a confederacy, a loose organization of sovereign states that can secede at any time and have no central power. "I don't know if Harwood is intentionally blurring the catego.ries or if he's just confused," he said. He added, "The original thing the founders did was to create this so-called federal republic, because there wasn't one like it at the time." Switzerland is an example of a modem confederacy. "Sometimes the terminology gets confusing," Shaw said. "But I haven't heard anyone talk about the confederacy since I went to

school in the South." Shaw said Harwood may be in need of "remedial U.S. history courses." Harwood, for his part, said, "If I'm wrong, then I guess I'm wrong. But my understanding of it all was that we were a confederated republic." He said he thought that President Abraham Lincoln changed things so that states couldn' t secede but that the nation remained a confederacy. Ste.wart said the Articles of Confederacy governed the initial 13 colonies, but they were abolished in 1787 with the adoption of the U.S. Constitution. Only when the South seceded from the union in 1861 was a confederacy formed among the Southern states; it ended in 1865 when the South lost the Civil.War. "History changes a lot over the years, especially in our colleges," Harwood said. "Lots of things

that have happened in the history of our country never get told in college courses." The lawmaker, who earned a community co4ege vocational certificate, said he picked up on the "confederacy'' term after reading a Pennsylvania legislative resolution, though the term doesn't appear in his Idaho sovereignty resolution, House Joint Memorial 4. "What I'm saying is each state has its own constitution, that's what I'm saying," Harwood said, "and we have a right to govern ourselves." HJM 4, anonbindingmemorial to Congress and the president, declares Idaho's sovereignty from the federal goverrunent and asks the federal government to "cease and desist'' from violating that sovereignty. Harwood read from the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Consti-

tution and told the House: "With them words, the states of this United States created the federal government." His resolution declares, "The scope of power defined by the 10th Amendment means that the federal government was created by the states specifically to be an agent of the states." Shaw said: "That's historical error to say the states created the system. It's actually the other way around." Harwood said his resolution is part of a "grass-roots movement'' among legislators around the country, and several states are considering similar resolutions. HJM 4 passed the Idaho House on Monday on a 51-17 vote and now moves to the Senate.

Betsy Z. Russell can be reached toll-free at (866) 336-2854 or bzrussell@gmail.com.

The Spokesman-Re~iew

Page 84 â&#x20AC;˘ Saturday â&#x20AC;˘ April 4, 2009

NORTHWEST

Lawyer recounts legal rout

of Aryan Nations BY ALISON BOGGS Staff writer

The Coeur d'Alene attorney who spearheaded the landmark civil lawsuit that bankrupted th~ Aryan Nations and its late leader, Richard Butler in 2000 said Friday that the trial would not have been won without the "unfettered genius" of nationally known civil rights attorney Morris Dees. "What do you do with a $35 lawsuit?" Norm Gissel asked a gathering of the Kootenai County Democratic Club. "All the other cases he bad were death cases or torture cases, really outrageous. We had an outrageous set offacts, but no serious damages." The $35 value referred to the cost of an X-ray plaintiff Victoria Keenan had after the Aryan Nations members hit her in the ribs with a rifle. Keenan and her son, Jason, were chased fired on and assaulted after passing the white supremaci ts' property on July 1 1998.

Gissel detailed strategic moves Dees of the outhern Poverty

Law Center in Alabama, made to turn the trial into one that delivered a $6.3 million verdict against the Aryan Nations, Butler and three of his followers. First, Gissel said, Dees secured an affidavit from the judge saying he needed heavy security due to regular death threats he received. Thus the jury members saw police everywhere and when the trial ended each day, they saw the plaintiffs and their attorneys rush into waiting cars and dash away. "The jury was watching this and knew we were under guard and it was dangerous," Gissel said. "It was all theater, just theater." Additionally, Gissel said, Dees secured tape recordings of Butler and his companions making violent and racist statements. One "character witness" for Butler was taped telling a group that it was OK to killAfrican-Americans. That recording was used to impeach the witness, Gissel said, when he lied on the stand and said he hadn't made statements that would incite violence. The attorneys were then allowed. to play

Background On Sept. 7, 2000, a Kootenai County jury returned a $6.3 million verdict against the Aryan Nations, its founder, Richard Butler, and three former members. The verdict in the civil trial found that the white supremacist and his organization were guilty of gross negligence in appointing security guards who carried out an assault on July 1, 1998, against Victoria and Jason Keenan, who were driving by their property.

the recording twice, each time to horrified looks from the jury, he said. Dees also managed to secure the early release from jail of a forer Aryan Nations member willing to provide testimony that But-

izations versus America in ome sense," Gissel said. "It was a cultural lawsuit to us because it had win or lose - enormous cultural implications for us." A loss would have invited other racists worldwide to North Idaho, he said. A win would break builtup momentum and send a message about Kootenai County' intolerance of racism. Following Gissel's speech, longtime human rights activist Tony Stewart said Dees drafted him to a sist whh tbe trial following the death of Dees' jury conKATHY PLONKA The Spokesman-Review

Norm Gissel, local attorney who assisted Southern Poverty Law C nter attorney Morrls Dees In the legal case that bankrupted the Aryan Nations, speaks Friday about the legal strategies Involved in the case at the -Iron Horse Restaurant in Coeur d'Alene.

ler bad offered a bottle to make a bomb when he overheard the man and a companion talking about attacking a Coeur d'Alene human rights activist's property. The trial was scheduled for S ptember and the man wasn't due to be released until October, Gissel said.

"For a regular attorney, that's the end of that. This guy is in jail. Not Morris,' Gissel said. Dees went to the judge with a motion that aid the man needed to be pJacedinhiscustody"forthegood of the country." The trial "was metaphorically about all racist right-wing organ-

sultant Stewart said he called in about three dozen people from around Kootenai County to dissect the 72-personjury pool. One man recognized another man's name as someone he worked with who told racist jokes. That person was marked as uncle irable for the jury. A dri e past another potential juror's home revealed "she had in her window a sign that aid 'Crime Busters.' We said 'She'd be great on the jury,' " Stewart said to laughter.

PRJL 20. 2009

HREI presents event on global safe zones Dr. Mark Gismondi lectures on human rights, free~m, peace, around world at NIC EsbeUe Lecbot

Sta_ff Contributor The Human Rights Education In titute, ASNIC and the former Popcorn Forum creator and leader, Tony tewart, continued their support of human rights, by inviting key note speaker Dr. Mark Gi mondi to the Lake Coeur d'Alene room in the SUB on Tue day, ApriJ 14. Gismoncli is an associate professor of political science and international studies at Northwe t Nazarene niversity. Born in Peru, he b gan hi tudies at the University of Oklahoma where he obtained his BA He later received his MA at University of Central Oklahoma in International Affairs and his PH.D. at University of Oklahoma. He i also the author of a book entitl d "Ethic , Uberali m and Realism in Intei;national Relation ." Gismondi lectured on Human Rights in a Globalized World. With several vi ual aid to a i t him, he explained about global safe zones, which are areas in the world where freedom, human rights and peace are either good or bad. "We live in a safe zone where we

are relatively happy and well governed, this i not the case in other areas of the world," Gismondi. Only half to one third of the planet is included in this safe zone; these areas include North America, South Ame.rica, Australia and Europe. These countries are typically democratic, tend to not go to war with each other, and they have a fair amount ofjustice and peace, according to Gi mondi. Other areas like China, Russia, Sudan, Iraq, Korea, Vietnam, and Cuba, tend to be not o fortunate. The people of these countries usually suffer greatly. They live in a tate of disarray with their government and typically do not have any freedom or liberties to be able to stand up for their rights a humans. Many of the people in the e countries are victim of gen~ cide, and crime against humanity are prevalent. "We tend to forget in the United States. just how lucky we are to have freedom of speech, to be able to demonstrate about our beliefs and to intervene when needed to ensure a b tter quality of life for our own," Gismondi said.

The United ation t up a y tern of law called the 2/ 4 charter, this charter is upposed to be in theory, a peace keeping law. The Chapter 7 mandate tate that memb r should not use force again t another member. A security council has been et up to oversee the rules, a vote will come to order before any changes are made and an International Critical Court now exists, Gismondi aid. According to Gismondi, lh se programs were created to bring peace, and human right to the forefront of a g lobal epid mic. Gismondi beli v that in theory, "it was a good attempt." The problem that he ha with it i . "It em to b a :y te m of power, not a :y tern of law. It i too easy for people to break. there i a gap between what we say we want to achieve and what w do achi ve." Gismondi de cribe om tories from family and fri nd about a peace-corps mission where his friends overheard a conversation between a Thai man and everal Ru ssian tourists, bargaining for the sale of a six year old boy for sex. He also discussed Bo nian Po-

lie ar call d to a home for domestic viol n and find aw man hot to death in th living room, another pleading for her life in an opposite room, while th polic stand idle having a drink with the shooter. and then watch a h fini h h r off in the next room. 'Th ar not mad up cenarios, these stories are real and they exi t, it bring a d ep en of horror to mo t p opl wh n l d cribe lhe ituation ," Gi moncli said. Although Gi mondi hopes that the times will hange and that th programs and mandates that are in plac wiJI continu to volve, h said. He urg s u to mak d ci ion for our elves, not lo let others infringe on our libertie and freedom . H would like to ncourage u , "to believ in th expan ion of humanitarian interv~ntion, by upporting human right , not only for ourIve . but v ryone el out th r that doe not hav th fr dom or th e voice that we possess." For more information on human rights, contact the HREI at (208) 292-2359 or www.hr i.org

Hagadone News Network

Saturday, April 25, 2009 ·

Aryan Nations makes reappearance in N. Idaho By NICHOLAS K. GERANI OS Associated Press writ er

COEUR d' ALENE -

Wh n U1 Aryan Nation ·ompound wa publicly bulldozed ight y ars ago, many peopl .·h r thought they had s en th end of a neo-Nazi group that brought notori ty and viol nc to thi part of th Northw st. Bul th group ha urfaced again, di tributing flier that say it i r cruiting m mber lo er at a "world headq uarl r " her . That ha drawn lh · attention of th human rights activi ls who h lp cl de troy the old Aryan Nation . "As b lJ can find out, it' two m n and th y operate out of a P.O. box," said Tony tewart, a longtim activist and board m mb rofth Kootenai Cow1ty Ta k Force on Hwnan Relation . "Th r i no way that !hi compare to wh n th · Aryan Nation had a compound h r and cir w hundr ds for con:li r n ·

Hagadone News Network

Sunday, May 31, 2009

Readers Write AMENDMENT: Panel wrong to oppose It Idaho's legislative session finally wrapped up. Among the

many clisappointing outcomes one has to wonder how easy it must have been to deny equal protection to all citizens in Idaho by failing to amend the Idaho Human Rights Act. The IHRA amendment language would have included actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity as a basis prohibiting discrimination in matters of housing, education, and public accommodations. The history of the amendment goes back to the 2007 legislative session when a printing was denied. In 2008 it was reintroduced and printed, but denied a public hearing, and this year in February the Senate State Affairs Committee voted against printing, which killed it for the third time. Surpassing the lack of support by the legislators were the actions of the majority of the Idaho Human Rights

...

Commission in their 5-4 vote against the amendment The Commission, appointed by the governor with the consent of the senate, is the body which ensures the dignity and fair treatment of all individuals, and prevents discrimination. As president of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations, I am writing to express the disappointment and concern of our board of directors. We commend the four members of the commission who voted in support of the amendment, however we are equally critical of the remaining five members and find their vote reprehensible. Their failure to support the amendment is in direct conflict of the commission's purpose to uphold human rights and to prevent discrimination. We would urge the commission and the governor to review their responsibilities in relationship to the protections guaranteed in the law. JOANN HARVEY

President, Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations

THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW THURSDAY, JUNE TI, 2009

PARTLY SUNNY A 79 Y 55

SPOKESMAN.COM

THE SUSPECT: PRONE TO V IOLENCE, HAYDEN MAN SAYS By Meghann M. Cuniff

ments about a lot of things because of the way be looked at the The man accused of gunning down worJd" Hess said a ecurity guard at the Holocaust Wednesday. Memorial Museum in Washington, Hess i a form.er D.C., on Wednesday arrived in North leader of the CaliforIdaho more than four years ago eager Von Brunn ma faction of the Euto meet others with an anti-govern- Suspect in ropean-American Unment agenda. an acquaintance said. D.C. shooting ity and Rights OrganiBut Jame W. von Brunn. 88, zation, the group led seemed 1>bsessed with violence, angry by ex-Ku Klux Klan leader David about a stay in federal prison and fix- Duke. Von Brunn found He s through ated on guns, said Stan Hes , a Hay- the group's Web site, Hess said. den resident since 2003. "He had some very bitter argu- See SUSPECT, A10 meghannc,ยง,spoke.sman.com. (509) 459-5534

SUSPECT Continued from Al Described by national hate watch groups as a longtime white supremacist and anti-Semite, von Brunn stayed at Hess' home on Cardinal Avenue in Hayden for a few days in late 2004 or early 2005 before Hess suggested he move out, Hess said. "I could just tell he was somebody who could soap," said Hess, who ran unsuccessfully for North Idaho College and Coeur d'Alene school boards on a "pro-European-American" platform. Hess said he let voo Brunn stay with him after the man called and said they shared anti-government views. It wasn't until after von Brunn arrived that Hess learned of his stint in federal prison. Von Brunn had been convicted in 1983 of attempting to kidnap members of the Federal Reserve Board and served more than six years in prison. He was arrested two years earlier outside the room where the board was meeting, carrying a revolver, knife and sawed-off shotgun. At the time, police said von BJUilD wanted to take the members hostage because of high interest rates and the nation's economic difficulties. Von Brunn blamed a Jewish conspiracy in the government for his conviction, Hess said. Von Brunn has a racist, anti-Semitic Web site and wrote a book titled "Kill the Best Gentiles," alleging a Jewish conspiracy "to destroy the white gene pool." Writings attributed to von Bruno on the Internet say the Holocaust was a hoax. "At Auschwitz the 'Holocaust' myth became Reality, and Germany, cultural gem of the West, became a pariah among world nations," one says. During his North Idaho stay, von Bruno's frequent talk of violence and guns pushed him and Hess to a shouting match, and Hess said he suggested he find another place to live. Hess

allowed him to use his address for mail for a few more months. Von Brunn tried local senior centers and other housing options but soon asked Hess to forward his mail to an address back East, Hess said. Hess never spoke to him again, but he heard of his racist, violent rants through e-mails from friends. "Everybody that dealt with him was fearful ofhim," Hess said. ''He was too crazy about what he was talking about." Von Brunn did not come to the attention of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Rights during liis stay in North Idaho, long~ time human rights activist Tony Stewart said. What Stewart knew about von Brunn came from the Southern Poverty Law Center, which says he's active in the East and a disciple of William Pietce, author of "The Turner Diaries," a favorite novel of white supremacists. Von Bruno's brief stay in North Idaho is a reminder of the region's reputatien as a pocket for racists. Members of the Aryan Nations have left leaflets in several Coeur d'Alene neighborhoods this :year, including once this week, Rachel Dolezal, the director of education for the Human Rights Education Institute - which took over the former Aryan Nations compound in Hayden and transformed it into a peace park - says she was threatened recently by three "skinheads." In April three men came to the institute near NIC, where Dolezal, who Âˇ is black, was working. "They said, 'We came to see what you are doing here,' "Dolezal said. She says they focused'on a political Nazi propaganda exhibit and asked her about where she lived and where her child attends school. She called the KBI, she said.

Jim Camden, Sara Leaming and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Thursday

'ALEN

Gunman opens fire at Holocaust Museum Anti-Semitic shooter injured after killing one guard

Suspect has ties to North Idaho

By NAFEESA SYEED and DAVID ESPO Associated Press writers

By Press staff and The Associated Press

WASHINGTON -An 88-y ar-old gunman with a violent and vir ulently anti- mitic past op ned fire with a rifle in ide the crowded U. . Holocaust Memorial Mu eum on Wedne day, fatally wounding a curity guard b fore b ing hot him elf by ther of.fie s, Johns authorities aid. The a sailant, a ho pitalized in critical conditio , leaving b hind a prawling inve tigation by federal and

COEUR d' ALENE - The suspectin the deadly U. . Holocau t Memorial Mu ewn hooting in Washington, D.C., lived briefly in North Idaho. According to a public record

search, James von Brunn. an 88-year-old white supremacist, lived in Hayd n. Idaho, in 2004 and 2005. 1o al law nfor m nt and pre ion of ho k from lh r raelj government and a promin nt Mu fun organization.

For years. Hayden was home to the Aryan Nation â&#x20AC;˘ a raci t group run by neo-Nazi Richard Bull r. Following a 1998 lawsuit, however, the now-dead Butler wa von Brunn forced to declare bankruptcy and hi assets including the see IDAHO, A2.

Wa hington Poli e Chief Cathy Lanier aid th Âˇ gunman wa see SHOOTING, A2

IDAHO

from A1

Aryan Nations compound were liqui-• dated. • FBI investigators are trying to bet,. ter understand time von Brunn speo in Idaho - and how he acquired the~ .22-caliber rifle used in Wednesday's attack. Several North Idaho residents familiar with Aryan Nations and other white supremacist organiza. tions said they had no recollection of James W. von Brunn being involved in the area. Marshall Mend, who helped form the Human Rights Education Institute, and Norm Gissel, the attorney who won the civil case that bankrupted the Hayden Aryan Nations, said they did not recall von Brunn. Wayne Manis; fonner head of the FBI in North Idaho, also said he did not recall the name. Tony Stewart. also active in battling the Aryans, said he spoke to a , trusted national media source who , said von Brunn was in Hayden for a few days in November ·2004 for unknpwn reasons.

Hagadone News Network

Friday, June 12, 2009

DC shooting suspect revives Hayden's racist memories By JOHN MILLER

ing to kidnap members of the Federal Reserve in 1981, was critically injured in a BOISE - Cattle now graze subsequent exchange of gunfire by other guards. where the Aryan Nation's Public records show von guard tower stood near Brunn, an avowed Holocaust the North Idaho hamlet of denier, spent a short period Hayden. Where Richard in 2004 or 2005 at the Butler burned swastikas into Hayden residence of Stan pine trees, there is a peace Hess, a 64-year-old associpark. Where there was hate, ate of former Ku Klux Klan there are wildflowers. leader David Duke. Even as the racist legacy In 2006, Hess ran unsucof Butler's remote 20-acre cessfully for a North Idaho compound fades into histpry, events like Wednesday's community college's board of trustees, pledging to shooting at the U.S. declare October "European Holocaust Memorial and American Heritage Month." Museum in Washington, D.C., - and news that the Hess couldn't immediately be reached by phone for accused gunman spent time comment by the AP. in Hayden five years ago Stefan Chatwin, who swept the community's ugly started his job as Hayden's past back into focus. city administrator just a few For Tony Stewart. a months ago, said almost longtime human rights nobody remembers von activist and a founder of the Brunn from his brief spell in Kootenai County Task Force the community. , on Human Relations, as well That Hayden has been as Hayden's current municidragged back into the headpal leaders, incidents like lines by his act belies that Wednesday's tragedy underscore their burden: Educating this is a very different place than it was even a decade people that associated North Idaho with 'neo-Nazis that the ago, Chatwin said. Âˇ place never really matched "The fact that this comits reputation and has munity has grown so much over the last several years changed for the better - all is testament to that People without trying to sweep the don't buy into what hapuncomfortable past under the carpet. pened here 8 or 10 or 20 "It is a constant challenge years ago," he said. "The people who were doing to us, even if somebody visthose things are largely its temporarily, and they go gone... and commit a horrendous crime like this, n Stewart told Hayden was for 30 years an outpost of white separatThe Associated Press on ism of the variety preached Thursday. "If they ever were here at any point in time, we by Butler, founder of the Aryan Nations group, who have a greater burden than arrived in the region in the other places where they've lived or are operating to try early 1970s. Mixing religion to explain." with race politics, he blanJames von Brunn, 88, has keted homes in the region been charged with murder in with fliers, hosted summer gatherings for skinheads the death of security guard Stephen T. Johns, who had from across the United States and organized an opened the door to let him annual parade through into the museum before he was slain. nearby Coeur d'Alene's Von Brunn; who served six years in prison after trysee HAYDEN, A6

Associated Press Writer

HAYDEN

from A3

downtown.Local resident largely rejected Butler's group, organizing counter demonstrations. Still, the deadly 1992 standoff on Ruby Ridge involving eparatist Randy Weaver and federal agents in th mountains north of Hayden helped burnish the region' notoriety in America and elsewhere as a remote, sparsely populated haven for anti-government hate. But Weaver, whose family eventually received a multimillion civil settlement from the federal government for the deaths of his wife and on, is long gone. A $6.3 million civil judgment against the Aryan Nations in 2000 over Âˇa violent attack forced Butler, who died in 2004, to liquidate his property. It's now owned by the Northern Idaho College

"The people up here, they saw evil up close for a long time.' TONY STEWART, human rights activist Foundati.on and is open member to er ate a n w Aryan Nation Âˇ'world h adto occa ional tour led by Stewart's group, founded quarters." 28 year ago in part to help There ar 11 group protect a local Jewish t akcalled Aryan Nation in the hou e owner from Buller and U.S., including one in Seattle, his followers. according to the Southern Despite nearly three Poverty Law Center, a civil decades of human right right group that helped win programs tailored to grade the judgment again t Butler school and colleg tudents, in 2000. conference and oth r "Th bizarr thing Richard Butler did - the efforts, Stewart concede there' still more to be done cros burning , the parades before Hayden and the - tick in people's mind , region are no longer adclJed more than do the report with references to their trou- about what w do for human bled past rights," Stewart aid. 'The Von Brunn hasn't helped. people up here, they saw evil Neither did two local men up do e for a long time. It' who earlier this year dismad people very n itive tributed fliers to re idence about what tragedi om purporting to be r cruiting out of hale."

Hagadone News Network

Editorial

Racism casts a long shadow W hen it com

to talking about rad m there isn't an elephant in the room. More like a mouse. Unfortunat ly, it's a mou e that roared. The little queaker roared o loud everal year ago when the Aryan Nation ' tink r-toy kingdom crumbled that the echoes of racism and intolerance reverberate still. Only too quickly, criti want to brand our area as a hotbed of hatr d. We were reminded of that Wednesday, when an angry old lunatic alleg dly shot and killed a guard at the U.S. Holocau t Memorial Mu eum in Washington

D.C.

Almost immediately the Maryland su p ct was being portrayed in national media a a former North Idaho resid nt. Our re earch howed that the uspect Is North Idaho a hotbed of had pent two or three hatred and intolerance? Go to www.cdapress.com and vote day in North Idaho in in the online poll. November 2004. That detail came from two knowledgeab l local ources and was onfirmed by someon with dire t access to a national databa e of hate-mongers.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

ince th Aryan Nation ' local ha e i nothing more .than a coupl of misdirected, flyer-weilding holdov r , it is almost comical that North Idaho would bear any ongoing raci m hotbed brand. But we realize that we live in a world where reputations don't easily die. So what an we do? Tho e of us who are es entially the am a people everywh re else? For on , we can talk about it. It's healthy to acknowledge â&#x20AC;˘that a few eriou sociopaths gave our region a bad nam . And it' OK to correct outsiders who want to paint our area Âˇwith the broad brush of hatred. What' even mor healthy is to recognize where seeds of raci m might have been sown and rather than fight hatr d with hatred attempt to enlighten and to educate. This i a difficult challenge because lower intelligence and mental illness seem to be racism's best friend . The good news i an organization exi ts locally to help. We recommend the Human Right Education Institute (www.hrei.org or (208) 292-2359) as a repo itory of wisdom and compa sion with an aim toward human beings granting the same dignity and re pect to other that they wish for themselves. Assume for a moment that we do have a problem here exceeding what some oth r regions experience. Thell" let it b known that we al o have the courage to confront our ituation, and the re olve to do omething about it.

THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

JU NE 14, 2009 • SUNDAY • PAGE

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up and living the life of a graduate student on $400 a month in a big, East Coast city. Each Sunday night the Rubinsteins brought up matzah ball dinners so my wife and I would not have to interrupt our studies to cook, and whenever I had a cold they fed me chicken soup. They were our family and proved to be among the very finest human beings I have ever were hunting down the known. My time with them By Walt Minnick Special to The Spokesman-Review Rubinsteins to talce the family to taught me tolerance and a concentration camp. understanding through the · Rubinsteins' own kindness and Leon Rubinstein was a Rubinstein wore his old German army uniform that German soldier in World War I assistance. who fought valiantly in the night, and pinned to it his Iron 1 experience that same brutal trench warfare that Cross. It afforded the family a kindness and assistance and see characterized the Western spot on one of the last trains that same tolerance and Front. For his bravery he earned allowed across the Dutch border understanding each time I am in the Iron Cross, the equivalent of before war broke out. The family North Idaho. Although the the U.S. Medal ofHonor. had no documentation, but national media would portray Rubinstein later married, and young soldiers at the our community as some bastion with his wife, Fania, had three checkpoints saw the medal, of hate, the facts prove exactly the opposite. boys. However, because of their ignored the family's lack of Jewishfaith, byl939 official papers and allowed the For nearly 30 years the Rubinstein's status as a war hero Rubinsteins through. people and communities of Years later I had the North Idaho have stood firm was meaningless to those who had wrested away control of his incredible good fortune to live against those who wanted to country. for three years in the upstairs create a haven for unacceptable Late one night he, his wife and apartment of the Rubinstein views. While many communities their three veryyoung boys were home in a Boston suburb. I was would have simply condemned attending graduate school a forced to flee their home with those extremists, the people of only the clothe on their backs, long, long way from the Walla North Idaho went to work, just ahead of S officers who Walla farm where I had grown fought with everything they had

GUE T

Region shines in fighting hate

and never let up. Starting in 1981, the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations has brought together people from all backgrouqds, professions and political parties, people who represent local organizations, tribal nations, community groups, students and area leaders, to combat bigotry and prejudice. The late Rev. Bill Wassmuth, professor Tony Stewart and so many others helped weave a legacy that is the true North Idaho: tolerance of all people, but a firm stance and a commitment to fight hate. The task force has educated 30,000 third-graders in its human rights education program over the last 24 years, according to Stewart. The task force helped spawn, in 1998, the Human Rights Education Institute, whichhas served as the educational arm of the organization. The program teaches the ideals'espoused by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and has become a model for the rest of public schools in Washington and Idaho to follow. It continually builds on the understanding that those who do notlearn and remember the mistalces of our history are

doomed to repeat. However, we must do more than just obse.rve and remember. We must be active and vigilant. Let's be clear: It is not intolerant to vigorously condemn purveyors of hate, be it for religious, racial, ethnic or other societal reasons. Failure to do so grants power to such people, and it can easily lead to a community or a nation betraying fundamental values, as was evidenced by the Holocaust, by ethnic cleansing in Bosnia, by the atrocities in Rwanda and by the current genocide in Darfur. People in North Idaho stood up to hate. They fought it. They stared down the worst of humanity and forced it to back down, over and over again in ways and with a consistency shown by few other U.S. communities. And I am proud to carry that message every day so that our nation's citizens, like the children and grandchildren of my old friends the Rubinsteins, know that Idaho's true beauty lies in its people.

Rep. Walt Minnick, a Democrat, represents the 1st Congressional District ofidaho in the U.S. House ofRepresentatives.

Saturday Jun 20 2009

'We are all

ericans' City's firstJuneteenth celebration sees trong turnout By MAUREEN DOLAN Staff writer

COEUR d' ALENE -Th city' fir tJun te nth celbration tart d with more than 100 people, and the party k pt growing. Th four-hour event marking the date in 1865 that Union soldiers finally reach d laves in Texa with word lhal they were fre , brought an e ti.mated 300 p op] through the door of the Human Right Education lnstitut Friday. Friend and families filtered in for food, music, onversation and a hl tory le son about the buffalo solru r , th first AfricanAm rican troops commi sioned at th nd of th Civil War. 'We were r cently in Wa hington, D.C., and

see JUNETEENTH, A5

"Change occurs pe on-to- on. The way to do it globally i to sta locallYi person-to-person." RANDY MYERS, Human Rights Education Institute volunteer

SHAWN GUST/Press

Bryce Harris, 7, turns to his mother during a Buffalo Soldier presentation Friday at the Human Rights Educat ion lnstitute's Juneteent h celebration in Coeur d'Alene.

JUNETEENTH

from A1

,saw the Emancipation ;Proclamation," said Diane Kelly-Riley. Kelly-Riley and her family traveled to Coeur d'Alen from ;Potlatch to attend the event ;after reading about it in the •newspaper. ' V. Anne Smith, presid nt of the Spokane chapter of the ~NAACP, and other human 'rights supporters from the )?.astern Washington city made •the trip for the Lake City's first :celebration. : "This is important because am able to come and inter)act with the citizens of Coeur ,d'Alene," Smith said. "Because 1 ofthe Juneteenth, the eman;ci_pation, we can all now enjoy ,each other and celebrate together." , PatBayonneJohnson,the 1only African-American member 1of the Eastern Washington Genealogical Society, crossed ,the state line to attend because she was interested in the bufialo soldier presentation. 'Through a research project, Bayonne-Johnson, discovered ;that there is a buffaJo soldier, Malbert Montgomery Cooper, buried in an unmarked grav in Spokane. Cooper was born in 1887 and died in 1979. Sh ha made it her mi sion to see that th U.. government properly disd1arges Cooper, and that veterans services pay to mark the grave. Local human right activi t Albert Wilkerson of Athol and his friend Troy Walker, of San Diego were on hand to talk about th buffalo soldiers. "We are all American. We are all in this tog ther. Our presentations are history. They are not to offend anyone," Wilkerson said. ''I hope you take something away with you

when you leave.''

Wilkerson and Walker are each descendants of members of the African-American troops authoriz d by th U.S. Congress at the end of the Civil War lo clear the

way for U.S. etU r . For ~O years, th men have mad it their mission to mak people aware of the role th buffalo soldiers played in U.S. history, because, they said it ha often been underscored or gon untold. Diane Gissel said the celebration of African-American independence in Coeur d'Alene was 'a long time coming." Gi 1and her husband, Norm, are longtime upporters of bwnan rights in Kootenai Cow1ty. Nom1 worked with Morris Dees of the Southern Poverty Law Center to win a 2000 mu]timillion-dollar jury trial settlement that led to the shuttering of the Aryan Nations compound that had existed in Hayd n since the early '80s. "On day Coeur d'Alene is going to be the human rights capital of the world, ' said fellow longtime local human rights champion Marshall Mend. "That' forecasting the future. Wi know where we've been." N wcomers saw th party as a call to action. Randy Myers, th institute's newest volunteer, signed on aft r seeing a promotional filer in town. ' Change occurs person-toperson. The way to do il glol>ally i lo start locally, person-toperson," Myers said. Rachel Dolezal, the instilut ' director of education and Juneteenth conunittee member, wa pl ased with the turnout "l think peopl saw this as an opportunity to tand up and celebrat together," Dolezal said. '1t exceeded my xpectation ·.''

~REVIEW

THE SPOKES MONDAY, JUNE 29 1 2009

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'THE STAIN IS SO DEEP'

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TAKING ON RACISM IN NORTH IDAHOâ&#x20AC;¢ AS

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FACE TIME

Tony SteW"art With a recent spate of racist activity in North Idaho a longtime human rights activist says speaking up makes all the difference

COLIN MULVANV cohnm~pokesman.c:om

Human rights activist Tony Stewart stands at the site of the former Aryan Nations compound near Hayden, which Is now a peace park.

BY ALISON BOGGS

I alisonb@spokesman.com. (208) 765-7132

White-supremacist fliers have been distributed in several Co·e ur d'Alene-area neighborhoods over the past three months. The Aryan Nations, which was bankrupted in 2000 by a $6.3 million court verdict, has claimed responsibility. Law enforcement and human rights activists are monitoring the situation, and longtime North Idaho activist Tony Stewart shared his thoughts. this a resurgence of the Q •• IsAryan Nations or something else? definitely think it's A •• Isomething else. It's not something to ignore, but for (those of us) who have been observing this for almost 30 years, there is no comparison. Richard Butler came here and created the compound and had all the buildings, and had both a political organization and a so-called religious organization, and had services there every Sunday. That is a major difference between what seems to be two men who have no facilities, and who ... operate out of a post office box, who are trying to suggest that they're somehow significant coml)ared with (Butler). There is no evidence they have any followers. do you think people Q •• What who get the fliers should do? It's very productive when A •• they publicly denounce it, just like our organization does. That really sends a message ... that

we're not going to accept the hate. Every time one of the neighbors speaks out ... those are very powerful statements - that we're not that kind of community, we're not going to be recruited. That's the best thing you can do, because legally, there's not anything you can do.

attention? the imprint of peoples' A •• Inminds, what sticks ... is the

seeing on a national scale?

crimes and the cross burnings. It's much harder for them to remember the human rights banquets or the children's programs. Once that imprint is there, it is so hard for the news to come forward that there have been changes. There is progress, but the stain is so deep.

are two factors A •• There explaining the escalation of

can this region do to Q •• What shake that reputation? ·

hate crimes on a national level. Hate groups are desperate in the sense that the ·culture is changing, and they see that. We are becoming such an incredibly diverse society with the great growth of the minority population. They don't want this cultural change. And secondly, to give an exclamation mark to that ... they just can't comprehend that a man of color ... would be elected president of the United States.

... wherever A •• Alltheycitizens go (should) share the

does what's going on Q •• How here fit in with what you're

did Butler's Q •• ·Why organization attract so much

message of what we really are like. Every individual can play a role in that. The grapevine is wonderful. When people come here visiting us, tell the story. Don't ignore it. Be proud not only of the victories and the trials, but be proud of the laws that have been passed, be proud of the children's programs. How many communities have a human rights banquet every year?

PAGE AS I WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2009

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Addressing a global thirst institute's board of directors. "Hopefully this can provide a visual stimulation to get people talking about some of these topics." By Alison Boggs The six-month exhibit will be allsoob;cilspokesman.com. (208) 765-7132 paired with keynote speeches this fall. Dune Lankard, a Native n exhibit opening tonight at commercial fisherman spurred to the Human Rights Education activism after the Exxon Valdez oil nstitute in downtown Coeur spill, will speak at North Idaho d'Alene will ask visitors to consider College on Sept. 22. Pete Mccloskey,Âˇ what happens to human rights in a the former California congressman world of increasingly limited natural who co-authored the Endangered resources. Species' Act and co-founded Earth International water wars, Day, will speak Oct. 6. overpopulation and gender issues all Straws shaped like crosses adorn a The exhibit is a departure from are raised in ''Water. Sex. China." It wall of Coke cans as part of the Coeur what the institute has done in the past, with more t:r;aditional displays, is the second exhibit in a two-year, d'Alene exhibit, opening tonight. four-part series examining the said Rachel Dolezal, the artist and impact of globalization on human to raise questions and people can the institute's education director. rights. come to their own conclusions," said Using film, installations and a "More than anything, we're trying Rocky Owens, vice president of the growing lawn, the institute hopes to

Exhibit explores link between water rights, human rights

Exhibit opening

When: "Water. Sex. China." opens from 6 to 8 tonight. The exhibit will remain open weekdays through Dec. 18.

encourage thought about how restricted resources and overpopulation affect human rights. "Can you just go in and buy an aquifer, buy a lake, when people are depending on it?" Dolezal said. People who Hve in an area where water resources are depleted, she said, "can' t just jump on a plane and go somewhere else. The right to life is a part of all of this, as far as dean food and water." One installation shows 100 Coke cans arranged, a la Andy Warhol, in perfect symmetry. Each one contains a straw shaped like a cross to illustrate the impact companies have when they purchase water rights for commercial purposes, forcing people to walk miles for drinking water. See EXHIBIT, A7

Where: Human Rights Education Institute, 414% Mullan Ave.. Coeur d'Alene. More information: Call (208) 292-2359.

EXHIBIT

Continued from AS

Another installation features a 5-gallon jug of water pierced with the flags of the largest international water rights holders and protected by soldiers in a desert.

A live green lawn surrounded by a white picket fence grows in the middle of the exhibit, suggesting that visitors consider their own water use while people in other parts of the world struggle to secure drinking water.

Big-screen TVs will show "Blue Gold,n a documentary about world water wars, YouTube videos on population growth, and a Chinese film called "Shower " a comedy with tragic ' moments about that country's bathhouse

culture. In one segment, a family trades bowls of food for water to provide a daughter with a bath. Additional films with more adult topics, including torture and gender issues, will be shown in a ''viewer discretion" room.

"Can you just go in and buy an aquifer, buy a lake, when people are d~pending on it?" Rachel Dolezal, education director, Human Rights Education Institute, and exhibit creator

DAVE OLIVERIA

Racists see opportunity for growth

HUCKLEBERRIES

spokesman.com/biogs/huckleberries

upremacist Richard Butler is dead and his compound bulldozed. But that doesn't mean racism in this region or country has vamoosed, t,00. In fact, the outhem Poverty Law Center reports the number of hate groups has gone up 50 percent in the past eight years, to 962 - a record. Earlier this month, Seattle's KOMO News talked with 30-year-old racistJerald O'Brien who has stamped his skin with Aryan Nations symbols and has promised at Butler's headstone "and my father, who art in heaven, that I would not let this die and I won't lose my faith." The Southern Poverty Law Center told KOMO there are three reasons for racist resurgence: exploitation of the illegal immigration issue, the crumbling economy, and the election of Barack Obama O'Brien told KOMO "white America is waking up." But Tony Stewart and Norm Gissel, who with the late Bill Wassmuth led the decades-long fight against Butler's organization, predicted any attempt to resurrect the Aryan Nations in North Idaho will be met with stiff resistance. Stewart offers a bit of advice that I heard often while covering his human-rights group: "You never, never decrease the problem by ignoring it.' Anyone confused about the word "never''?

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Realtor worthy of a little ink HUCKLEBERRIES Earlier this month, we had a debate within the newspaper about whether Century 21 owner John Beutler was enough of a public figure to warrant a print story re: his arrest after his two-vehicle crash at 3rd and Walnut. Alcohol was alleged to have been a contributing factor. The S-R thought so and printed a short story. The Press didn't. The Merry Hucksters at Huckleberries Online thought so, too. In a Friday poll, they ranJced Beutler, who is one of the nation's top Realtors and a regular contributor to local charities, No. 6 in a poll of nonelected, nongovernment VIPs in the Coeur d'Alene area. Duane Hagadone easily captured the top spot. And there weren't surprises in the Nos. 2 through 5 spots either: 2. Marshall Chesrown 3. Charlie & Susan Nipp, 4. (tie) Tony Stewart and John Stone. Rounding out the Top 10 were: 6. Beutler, 7. Tom Addis, 8. Jim Elder, 9. Gary Norton and 10. (tie) Steve Meyer, Duane Jacklin and Mary Souza/Dan Gookin. Bottom line? You need to behave yourself if your name is on that list. You don't want to attract unwelcome headlines.

SECTION E I SUNDAY, AUGUST 9, 2009

Yoder&Son Your turn: Readers sound off on recent columns. PAGEE3

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Master of promotion Jonathan Coe leave behind a sbÂˇong legacy of growth as leader of andpoint and Coeur d'Alene chambers of comm rce

By Alison Boggs alisonb spokesman.com, (208) 765-7132

en Jonathan Coe and his wife, Pat, moved from Spokane to North Idaho in 1984 for his job a director of the Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce they joked that theirs was the only car

headed north. Unemployment in Bonner County hovered near 12 percent, thÂˇe reces ion had cut into the county's natural re ource-based economy, tourism was down and light manufacturing was only just getting started, Coe said. Within the first two weeks, he realized the chamber only had enough money to pay him for six months. When he asked the chairman of the board where hi salary would come from, Coe said the response was: "We figured if we hired the right guy, he'd figure something out" Coe did figure something out, and hi 14-year tenure See COE, ES

FILE The SPOkesman-Revlew

First place finisher Francisco Potano approaches the finish llne of the lronman trlathlon In Coeur d'Alene. The lronman event Is one of the hallmarks of the promotional efforts of Coeur d'Alene durin g the tenure of Jonat han Coe as chamber leader.

KATHY PLONKA kathypl '4SPOkesman.com

Jonathan Coe poses In front of the Coeur d'Alene Chamber of Commerce. He Is leaving his position as chamber president aft9r 10 years of service.

AUGUST 9 , 2009 • SUNDAY • PAGE ES

BUSINESS

FILE PHOTOS The Spokesman-Review

Thousands of people are Illuminated by the llght of a fireworks show In front of the Coeur d'Alene Resort. Dozens of floats and two high school marching bands took part In a parade before the Hagadone Corp. Hollday Light Show kicked off with fireworks.

COE

Continued from El

with the Sandpoint chamber and subsequent 10-year stint as presi~ent of the Coeur d'Alene Chamber of Commerce marked a time when both cities emerged as tourist destinations that have attracted national attention from Time and Sunset magazines, as well as the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and "Good Morning America." Now, on the eve of Coe's 25th anniversary in the chamber business, he and Pat are bidding farewell to North Idaho and moving to Santa Rosa, Calif., where he will become CEO of the chamber in the Sonoma County seat, heart of the wine country. He starts Sept.14. He leaves behind a legacy, say friends and business associates, ofleadership, inclusiveness and skill at bringing together divergent interests to work toward common goals. A model developed during his first years in. Sandpoint of the chamber promo~ any industry that wanted help,_provided it shared the cost, has served him well for more than two decades and seems a key factor in .his selection for his new job. "We're incredibly impressed with what he's done in Coeur d'Alene," said Mari Featherstone, chairwoman of the board of directors at the Santa Rosa chamber. " It seems as ifhe has cgme up with some very collaborative and unique ways to help your community grow and to help different parts of your community work together toward a positive goal. We're at a point where creative solutions will make a huge difference for all of our economies." In Sandpoint, Coe's strategy evolved following a visit to the state by former New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu, who helped his state emerge from a recession by promoting tourism. That convinced Coe that Sandpoint should follow suit, especially with a .ski resort and "gorgeous lake" already in place as assets.

A three-pronged strategy emerged: put on as many events as possible to show the value of tourism, create a cooperative marketing program with the tourism industry, and encourage private investment in non-event-dependent tourism, such as cruise boats, golf courses and other activities. Coe and his staff of two, along with a host of volunteers, began to put on numerous events - Winter Carnival, Mardi Gras, Waterfest, bike racing, triathlons, a blues festival and Octoberfest "Most of the events still going on in Sandpoint today were generated back when he was there," said Jeff Bond, a Sandpoint Realtor who then was chairman of the chamber's Tourism Promotion Committee. Tourism became a mechanism for economic development, Coe said, because it brought people to town for vacation and lured some visitors to move to the area and start businesses. Timber industry representatives soon

"Oftentimes, we wonder why key individuals come to a place at the t ime they do. They seem to be here for us at a time they're needed so badly." Tony Stewart Human rights activist

asked Coe if he could do the same thing for them. Two weeks later, he had $25,000 on his desk to promote the timber industry. The chamber's Timber Information Program was born, along with Timberfest, a day long community celebration of logging with competitions and activities that ran about 15 years. In 1988, Coe hired a young ~?,man named Shawn Keough to run the timber program. She became a state senator in 1996. Wben Coe ran the chamber, Keough said, the business community, economic development organizations and chamber all worked under one umbrella When he left, the Âˇorganizations split into separate groups, she said. Though people might disagree about the best approach, Keough said, "There is value in pulling together with one organization. Your resources are weightier and more focused.n Coe's early years in Sandpoint coincided with the start of the Idaho Travel Council's grant program. Tourism promotion organizations statewide compete for a pool of money generated by a 2 percent tax on hotels, motels and private campgrounds. Last week. the Coeur d'Alene chamber learned it had been awarded $385,500 for this year. "He is extremely talented in putting forth well-thought,out plans and highly leveraged plans," said Karen Ballard, administrator for the state's Division of Tourism. ''They have figured out how to make that money spread as far as they can. He does his homework and he delivers."

When Coe took over as Coeur d'Alene chamber president in 1999, he found a much more established organization and more diversified economy. The chamber had solid membership and a good budget. Coe had been brought in to promote tourism and take the chamber "to the next level," though no one was sure what that was, he said. But instead of promoting Coeur d'Alene, what Coe called "clouds" hanging over the city forced him to spend his first few years defending it against a reputation as a haven for racists, due to the nearby presence of the Aryan Nations. The second public relations challenge, he said, came from a federal Environmental Protection Agency proposal to dredge the lake, due to a century of mining pollution flowing down from the Silver Valley. In 2002, the EPA deferred cleanup plans for the lake to the recently instituted Lake Management Plan. Regarding the Aryan Nations, a

four-part strategy evolved that included ensuring civic leaders had an immedi~te, unified resp~nse to anything lead~r Richard Butler said publicly, and backing the message with actions such as teaching tolerance in schools ~d supporting the annual human rights ~anquet. The city also found ways to "be intolerant toward intolerance " Coe said, including pulling an ev~t permit for every Saturday in the summer to prevent an Aryan parade. Only one eve.n t could be held per day. . The last part was to create a different 1mage for Coeur d'Alene. An opp~rtunity arose following the city's landing of the USA Triathlon in 2001-2002. That opened the door to ~ord Ironman Coeur d'Alene, which Just celebrated its seventh year in the Lake City. _Coe hopes ~e new reputation that will resonate IS as a place that brings in 2,500 athletes every summer from almost every state and 20 countries. While the stain of the Aryan Nations hasn't been totally erased, Ironman "has given us a major brand ... to hang your hat on," said Coe, sporting a blue Ironman polo shirt. "It's sending a different message." Longtime human rights activist Tony Stewart called Coe "a healing person for our community" who was tremendously supportive of human rights. '.'O~te_n times, we wonder why key mdividuals come to a place at the time they do," Stewart said. "They seem to be here for us at a time they're needed so badly." Coe said that after the $6.3 million verdict that bankrupted the Aryans in 2000, the city was able to "turn the corner." So much energy bad been spent defending the city, he said, that finally the chamber was able to focus on promotion.

The tried and true model went back into place. Around 2002, when the arts community asked the chamber for more promotion of the arts, an arts and culture committee was formed, arts businesses contributed money, and events such as the Second Friday Artwalk emerged. That committee eventually became a separate nonprofit, with its manager a staff member of the chamber. Also housed at the chamber are representatives of organizations ranging from the Downtown Association to the North Idaho Trail Foundation. Coe said he's proud of this city, which brought in the prized Salvation Army Kroc Center; which turned o\>'er its old library to a nonprofit for use to help . low-income people; which within three days celebrated grand openings downtown of a new public library and a new visitor center and chamber building. What he will miss most, he said, are the people. Then be glances out his tall glass windows at sunshine glinting off the blue waters of Lake Coeur d'Alene. "I can feel good about leaving and know someone else will come in with better ideas and a new take," he said. But, he said, "The view is not going to be the same."

Above: Tlmberfest In Sandpoint was an Important economic event for both the timber Industry and the Sandpoint communfty At left: In this 2000 fife photo, white supremacist Richard Butler, speaks through a megaphone at an Aryan Nations rally In Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Oeallng with the Aryan Nations was a major task for Coe d~ring his tenure In Coeur d'Alene.

CRIME

Tankovich and a group of other ma! pulling a

warrant further charges," McHugh said Friday. The altercation occurred on Ea t Penn ylvania Avemle, wher witnes es d scribe

de cribed as having "Born to Kill'' on it ·ide, a -well a wastika ign . Tankovich, who ha a star tattoo on each of hi calves with "Aryan inked

in one and "Prid " in th oth r all ged1y approached

truck in front of the victhe victim in his driv way. tim' driv way and threatTh victtm th n ometbing that ening him ac ording Lo hawed Tankovich the our offic i alway review- polic report . load d gun h held al his Th truck wa ing, to e ii certain ca es ide and told Lh u p c

from C1

Jailed man could be charged with hate crime which carries up to five year in pri on and $5 000 in fines. He could fac COEUR d'ALENE - A convicted an additional malicious felon sitting in the Kootenru County haras ment - or hate jail could be charged for a hate crime crime - charge pendstemming from a pair of a]tercations ing further inve tigation, outside a Coeur d'AJene home earlier Tankovich according to Kootenru thi week. County Pro ecuting Ira Tankovich was arrested unday Attorney Barry McHugh. evening and charged with unlawful po se sion of a firearm, a feJony see CRIME, C6 By TOM HASSLINGER Staff writer

The Press, Saturday, August 22, 2009

SECTION

to I ave, a orcling lo police report . Th men th n I fl the scene, laiming th y w uld b back. Around 20 minut s later, two of the men r turned with a larg clog t the vi tim' hou challenging him to an alt rcation and yelling racial slur . When police arriv d, th y dewned the two men and arre t d Tankovich, who wa coming near th vi tim · home from an oppo it dir ction. He had a knife in hi pock· t and polic lat r eiz d a gun h had thrown from his po e sion befor lh arr t, U1 r port 'tale. AL the tim of th arr t, Tankovi h wa d scribed a "belligerently intoxicat d," sw aring, and addr ing the victim in thaj Jurs. He al o told offic r h would "tak car of the situation him 1f,'' a cording to r ports. Tankovi h i want d in California for parol violation and has a t tony on hi record. Polle wilhh Id hi ag from lh docum Felony maliciou hara m nt carri up to 5 year in pri on and up t-o $5,000 in fin . Tankovich i itting jn jaj] on a $250,000 bond. Hi pr liminary onferenc hearing i hedul d for :301l1ursday morning and hi preliminary hearing for the weapon harge i sch dul d for 1:30 p.m. Friday at lh Koot nai County ourU1ouse. La t y ar, two ha crime were r ported in Co ur d'AJ n , according to polic record .

Saturday August 22, 2009

"We live in the best place in the world. Our quality of life depends on how we care for each other and how we protect our h~man righ " SANDI BLOEM, Coeurd'Alene mayor

'We will be here' North Idaho, Washington officials hold press conference, warn against hate crimes

By ALECIA WAR RE N

Staff writer They're armed against hatred. In a show of solidarity, a crowd of law enforcement and elected officials from across the Inland SHAWN GUST/Press Northwest held a press conference Jo Ann Harvey, president of the Kootenai County Task Friday with the Kootenai County Force on Human Relations, speaks during a press Task Force on Human Relations to conference Friday denouncing the recent distribution of announce they are poised to proshate literature in the area. ecute any prejudice that escalates

Inside

into criminal activity.

'We reject the hate and will aggressively prosecute bate crimes," said Tony Stewart of the task force, which organized the conference in light of recent activity by a handful of members of the Aryan Nations.

â&#x20AC;˘ Hate crime may be charged inCd'A PageC1

see HATE, A2

HATE A1

from

One by one, mayors, council members, prosecutors and police chiefs from North Idaho and the Spokane region stood behind the microphone positioned by the lnterstate 90 bridge at the state line, where they affirmed that bigotry isn't tolerated in their communities. "We live in the best place in the world. Our quality of life depends on how we care for each other and how we protect our human rights,n said Coeur d'Alene Mayor Sandi Bloem. Keith Hutchinson of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe said he doesn't want to see local minorities experience fear and suspicion. ''We don't want anyone else to go through what the Native Americans went through for hundreds of years," he said. The rhetoric was passionate but cautious - everyone acknowledged citizens' First Amendment rights to express their beliefs. Speakers also admitted that, for now, police can't do more than write litter citations to Aryan Nations members who toss literature into locals' yards, recent incidents of which were the catalyst for the press conference. But that doesn't mean

no one is paying attentiQn,

Stewart said. â&#x20AC;˘1 think this gathering today comforts people in those neighborhoods; it shows that we're speaking out," he said. Law enforcement officials emphasized that they are prepared to spring into action should any of the Aryans' behavior advance to harassment or violence. "When crimes are committed, it's our duty and obligation to prosecute to the full extent of the law," said Barry McHugh, Kootenai County prosecutor. Stewart said the task force bas no reason to believe the recently active Aryans, who include two members in Coeur d'Alene and three in Rathdrum, are trying to recreate the compound and supremacist hub that Richard Butler had maintained for decades in Kootenai County. If they do, Stewart said, "We will be here." Kootenai County is more on the lookout now than when Butler and his cronies started quietly initiating their group in the 1970s, he said. Locals can also feel more confident, he added, because of the Southern Poverty Law Center's defeat of the Aryan Nations in a 2001 legal battle, which bankrupted the group and resulted in the loss of their compound.

"There's (precedent) there that you can get both into criminal trouble and civil trouble," Stewart said. Representatives who spoke on Friday included officials from Coeur d'Alene, Hayden, Post Falls, Athol, Spirit Lake, Rathdrum, Spokane, Liberty Lake, Spokane Valley and the Coeur d'Alene Tribe. Stewart lauded it as a "historic" moment. "We've seen in the past that (hate) can escalate to violence, and we're sending the message today they cannot do that," he said. In recent weeks, members of the Aryan Nations have dropped promotional flyers with membership applications into private yards in Coeur d'Alene, Rathdrum, Athol, Spirit Lake and the Spokane Valley. Someone also dropped off copies of "The David Duke Report" by David Duke at the Post Falls Senior Center in March. Post Fall Police Lt Greg McLean, who also spoke at the conference, said he hopes to prevent. situations like when an Aryan Nations member punched a 16-yearold at a local skate park a few months ago. "They're just trying to bully people into accepting what they believe," he said. "Today shows we're going to take this seriously."

SECTION B I SATURDAY. AUGUST 22, 2009

SPOKESMAN.COM/NEWS

WHAT ARE YOUR NEIGHBORS UP TO NOW?

Officials counter racist acts Flare-ups galvanize arealeaders,'W'ho promise resistance By Meghann M. Cunlff meghannc@spokesman.com. (509) 459-5534

Criminal citations and civil lawsuits are options. But the recent surge in racist activity is best handled by a unified community dedicated to rejecting discrimination and hate, leaders from JESSE TINSLEY Jesset@spokesman.com across the Inland Northwest said Friday. Tony Stewart. of the Kootenai County Task Force on "We have been vested with Âˇthe Human Relations, speaks Friday at a press conference authority and the power to take action, attended by police and human rights activists. ''We and I assure you I will use that power belleve that where there's hate speech, good speech Is and authority to take a stronger stance essential and It wins out In the end," he said.

of boldness," Spokane police Chief Anne Ki.dcpatrick said. "People who are hateful are bold. But stand by to stand by, because we are more bold than .they are." City leaders and law enforcement from around the region joined members of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations to respond to racist fliers that have been appearing in residential yards since April A man with extensive ties to hate groups, Paul R Mullet, moved to Athol from Ohio about five months ago and has promised to reS111Tect the Aryan Nations. The group moved its headquarters from Hayden Lake after the death ofits founder, Richard Butler, in 2004. Mullet and Kevin McGurre, who's listed.in. police documents as a Man-

hattan, Mont, resident. were ticketed for littering and Todd Westoni of Athol, for aiding a misdemeanor Aug. 8 after neighbors in Coeur d 1Alene complained about the fliers to police. ~e will not be known as places that allow hatred to dwell," Spokane Mayor Mary Verner said.

Racist Incidents crop up The Kootenai County task force is credited with dismantling Butler's Hayden Lake compound with a civil lawsuit that bankrupted the Aryan Nations in 2000. The land is now a peace park But racist activity has persisted quietly in the region. In 2007, a man claiming Aryan Nations ties inter-

See RACISM, 82

RACISM

Continu'ed from Bl

rupted a talk by task force founders Tony Stewart and Norm Gissel at the Human Rights lnstiblte. Three others stood outside the building handing out pro-Aryan literature. That summer, two men reportedly screamed racial slurs and neo-Nazi mantras at Hayden Lake, and Silverwood Theme Park near Athol ordered a group of men with swastika tattoos to cover the markings or leave. The men left. In April, Coeur d'Alene residents awoke to fliers advertising the Aryan Nations in their yards. Residents in Spirit Lake have gotten them, too. Earlier this month, Coeur d'Alene police ticketed Mullet, McGurre and Weston after a neighbor said they'd thrown the fliers to children playing in a yard. Less than two weeks later, Spokane Valley yards were littered with the fliers, police said.

'Speaking our At Friday's press conference, Spokane Valley Mayor Richard Munson encouraged citizens to reject Mullet and his "type of vitriolic nonsense." ' Officials from Rathdrum, Spokane Valley, Dalton Gardens, Post Falls, Coeur d'Alene, Liberty Lake, Spokane, Sandpoint and the Coeur d'Alene .Tribe attended the press conference, which was held off Interstate 90 near the state line. "We believe that where there's hate speech, good speech is essential and it wins out in the end," said Stewart, task force secretary."... I think it comforts the people in the neighborhoods. They know we are speaking out~

Two assaults have been reported in Spokane and Coeur d'Alene in the past month that police think may have been racially motivated, but detectives say they have no reason to suspect members of the Aryan Nations. Idaho's hate crime law makes it a felony to "intimidate or harass another person because of that person's race, color, religion. ancestry or national origin." Washington's malicious harassment law can be used to prosecute racial intimidation. Mullet said in a prepared statement his organization will not violate the law. "For far to long ALL other groups have been able to spread there messages unchallenged and nay encouraged to have free speech but one group the WIDTE RACE!" the statement reads. "The media blitz this morning is nothing mor~ than them stirring up a population of people to do nothing more than attack us for having the willingness to speak truth, granted to us under the constitution ofthe United States!" Mullet has promised to fight the littering citation filed this month. Âˇ

> a m > fO

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Shine light • on racism that festers in shadows When Richard Butler's Aryan Nations thugs wanted to spew their racist ve.nom at a rally in Riverfront P~k in 1983, Spokane's black mayor, Jun Chase, said let them. But ignore them. When Aryans wanted to invite · their Ku Klux Klan pals to Coeur d'Alene for a bigotry parade down ShermanAvenue in 1998, human rights activists conceded the hatemongers' free-speech rights. But they stole the spotlight and res~aped the message of the ~ay by stagmg a concurrent festival of unity. By collecting pledges for every minute the racists marched ' moreover, they raised a reported $28,000 for human rights causes. Throughout the uncomfortable era during which Butler and his obedient bigots tried to make Kootenai County a national center for white supremacy, local political leaders, law enforcement officials and civic activists responded by appealing to the community's deeper values. So resoundingly did the community answer that in 1987 Coeur d'Alene received the first Raoul Wallenberg Community Award for Human Rights, presented in New York City in honor of the Swedish humanitarian credited with saving thousands of J ews from the Holocaust.

Butler is dead now, and his Hayden Lake compound lost to bankruptcy and converted to a peace park. The good guys prevailed, but to roll the credits now on a happy ending would be naive. Racists have resprouted in the region like noxious weeds, prompting regional officials to convene and contemplate their strategy. At a press conference Friday, they declared that the community can overcome the bigots' boldness because, in Spokane police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick's words, "we are more bold than they are." A rash of littering incidents involving racist fliers have been reported in Coeur d'Alene, Spirit Lake and Spokane Valley. A handful of new faces have surfaced and declared their intent to revive Butler's demons. The scourge has not been eradicated yet, but moral leaders in the area know that the strongest weapon in their arsenal is the region's collective decency and indignation. It is vital for the community to ·respond again as it has in the past, not just to ward off the latest visible assault, but also to overwhelm the latent bigotry that always lurks in a few corrupt hearts. Stifling their views is not the way to beat them; demonstrating their neighbors' unconquerable disapproval ·is. As a former Spokane city manager, the late Terry Novak, said of Jim Chase's courage in 1983, ''He innately perceived that sunlight kills germs."

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THE SPOKESMAN-REVIE

COMMENTARY

OCTO BER 4 . 20 09 • SUNDAY • PAGE 89

ST OPI ION

Tracing hate's roots By George Critchlow and Raymond Rey• Special to The Spokesman-Review

•

"Only by persistent and unremitting educational efforts will we one day see that mutual helpfulness and tolerance• between differing pe(!ples have become as important to our weljare as having clean air,, clean water and a healthy environment." Alan B. Slifka, ''Handbook of Interethnic Coexistence"

A Spokane woman - a human rights worker - and her children recently awoke to the sight of a noose on their doorstep. She and other persons of color have been the, targets of a resurgence of hateful and threatening behavior in the Spokane and North Idaho communities. There is a documented increase in this kind of activity throughout the country. Whether it is due to fear and divisiveness associated with the economy, racist rage at the election of a black president, organized hate·online or a cultural shift toward uncivil behavior, it is here again in our community, and we must say, loudly and clearly: Not in our townJ The responsibility for creating healthy communities and respect for difference lies with us, as individuaJs, working in our respective and relevant contexts. Because hate has always been a vigorous and stubborn enemy of human rights, it is useful to know as much as possible about how it takes root and grows. It is also important to learn what strategies are most effective in eliminating hat;red and treating its effects.

The Gonzaga Institute for Action Against Hate was founded by Gonzaga University in 1998 to fight hate through education, research and advocacy. lts genesis derived from conc~rns . surrounding the apparent tncrea~e m the phenomenon of hate - es~ec1ally racial and religious hate - as 1t . manifested itself on campuses and m communities throughout the country. The prevalence of hate crimes, organized hate groups and hat~fu1 . Internet sites prompted the uruvers1ty community to reflect upon ways ~at Gonzaga - a Jesuit ~titution .- mlght provide understandin.g regar:dm~ how hate afflicts campus life, society L~ general and the wor!d .. What 3;e its ? causes, its charactenstlcs and its ~ffects.. How does it spread and how c~ 1t be counteracted? What can the various disciplines - from religious studies and law to psychology, science, history and anthropology - contribute to our understanding of hate and its prevention? And, importantly, what can institution of higher education contribute to education theory and · practice in relation to teaching about and eliminating hate at the postsecondary and K-U levels? . The Gonzaga Institute for Action Against Hate provides resources and a :framework for a new field known as hate studies by bringing together . different disciplines and perspectives on the subject of hate, by increasll!g · relevant interdisciplinary learrung opportunities, by encouraging and facilitating hate-related research _and scholarly writing and by developmg new hate studies curricula. The institute recently published its seventh annual volume of the JournaJ of Hate Studies (available online and in print) . Journal themes and arti.cles represent the work of authors m fields such as psychology, religious studies, information science and technology, neurobiology sociology, history,. human rights activism and Jaw. Future ISsues will continue the journal's central rol~ as a vehicle for establishing the evolvmg field of bate studies.

[o ,A. t/t1 u .eJ-

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The effort to understand and combat hate is no simple task in a world of competing cultures and ideologies, dwindling resources and widespread poverty. But the institute believes it is an effort and responsibility that educators professionals and people of good will everywhere hould undertake with enthusiasm and dedication. We know our work is just one initiative among many good works and strategies by which our neighbors throughout the Inland Northwest are reaffirming the region's support for diversicy and human rights. Later this month, the institute will host a banquet at which the first Take Action Against

Hate Award will be presented to Eva Lassman. A Holocaust survivor, Eva is a shining example of those who fight for justice. In this cru~ial time, we all have a role to play to ensure that our children inherit a hate-free society.

George Critchlow is acting dean of the Gonzaga Âˇuniversity School ofLaw. Raymond Reyes is associate academic vice president and chief diversity officer at Gonzaga. They are founding board members of the Gonzaga Institute for Action Against Hate (www.gonzaga.edu/ag~insthate). To submit a guest column about a local or regional isme, or to request guidelines,

please do so by e-mail to eclitor@spokesman.com or by conventional mail to: Guest Columns Spokesman-Review Opinion page 999 W. Riverside Ave. Spokane, WA 99201 .

IOAHO EDITION: HANDLE EXTRA I SUNDAY. NOVEMBER 1. 2009

THE SPOKES

~REVIEW Sports

Rhoads h路o nored >>

Hayden to celebrate路Coeur d'Alene veteran's service

Champion Sandpoint boys overcome injuries

PAGEJ

PAGE&

material. In a recent letter to the editor of the Hattiesburg American, Bland wrote: ''I thought that this reaction by local leadership was astonishing as I was from the South and had Wayne never witnessed leadership HUCKLEBERRIES DA VE Longo, calling out such acts. I also OLI VERIA humanthought how wonderful it is for That cross-the-border press leadership to set the tone to what rights conference staged to oppose local activist Tony is and is not acceptable behavior." racists circulating hate literature Stewart and And you thought no one noticed? was felt all the way down in others met Mississippi. Seems Jackie Bland Insert foot with and her family from Hattiesburg, So Merry Huckster Phil mayors, Miss., visited the area shortly police chiefs Corless and his family were after the Aryan Nations enjoying a fall Saturday at and other dignitaries from wannabes conducted their Spokane and Kootenai counties at Silverwood when Phil ran路 into literature drop. About that time, S-R photog Jesse Tinsley and Mayor Sandi Bloem, Police Chief the state line to denounce the

Human-rights conference gets hand.from Hattiesburg

another man. Jesse asked Phil if he and his crew planned to enjoy the haunted attractions at the park. Which provided a perfect opening for Phil to bellyache about what he considered was ''the horrible marketing Silverwood had done toward season pass holders." After the tirade, Jesse introduced Phil to his escort for the day - Layne Pitcher, the marketing manager for Silverwood. Don't you hate when that happens1

Hucldebenies The Spokesman-Review Editorial Board got the endorsements for Coeur d'Alene

mayor and the three council positions spot on. Mayor Bloem deserves her unprecedented third four-year term. The three incumbents (Mike Kennedy, Deanna Goodlander and Woody McEvers) earned re-election, too. . (See: Kroc Center, library, PraiJ.~e Trail, Riverston~, Riverstone Pond, Midtown upgrade and too 路 many other things to mention here) ... Two North Idaho College instructors are so IDNl-phobk, sez Sentinel Chokecherries, that they canceled classes for fear of being infected. Another one requires students to submit

See HUCKLEBERRIES, 3

PAGE AS I FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2009

SPOKESMAN.COM/NEWS

STORIES ABOUT PEOPLE AND PLACES ACROSS THE REGION

Three charged with hate crimes Men accused of threatening Hispanic famlly at CdA home By Alison Boggs alisonb@spokesman.com, (208) 765-7132

Three men were indicted Thursday by a Kootenai County grand jury on charges of malicious hara sment under the state's hate crime law after allegedly threatening a Hispanic family in Coeur d'Alene in August. Ira Gino Tankovich, 47, Frank James Tankovi.ch 46, and William Michael Tankovich Jr., 49 all of Coeur d'Alene, were indicted on charge of malicious harassment and conspiracy to commit malicious harassment. Each crime is a felony and carrie a potential penalty ofup to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. The defendants wHI enter their pleas during arraignment hearings before 1st District Judge John Luster. The dates for those hearings have not been set. Police reports say that on Aug. 16, the three men were in a truck decorated with swastikas and the words "born to kill" when they topped at the home of Kenneth Requena on

Frank Tankovlch

Ira Tankovlch

WIiiiam Tankovlch

the 1900 block of East Pennsylvania Avenue. Requena, who was in his garage, told police he asked his wife to get his gun and to call 911 when he saw the truck pull up. The men approached him but backed off when Requena displayed his gun, reports say. The men told him they'd be back. About 20 minutes later, two of the men approached the home on foot, accompanied by a large pit bull. Requena again asked hi wife to get his gun and to call 9ll A third man approached from a different direction, shortly before police arrived. Police reports say the men yelled racial slurs as they approached the home. Requena told po.lice he believed he would have been shot had the officers not arrived. An officer said he saw Ira Tankovicb throw a gun int@ a neighboring driveway. Police re-

covered a .22-caliber Ruger Mark III pistol belonging to Ira Tankovich, reports show. All three Tankoviche told police that Requena ap roached them unprovoked, reports say. Ira Tankovich, who police say has Aryan pride tattoos, initially told police his name was Raymond Charles Evans. But police found his identification and discovered he was wanted for violating probation in California on a stolen property conviction which prohibits him from owning a gun. Ira Tankovich also was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm and providing, false information to police. The grand jury indicbnent alleges that all three men had "specific intent to intimidate or harass another person" because of that person's race, color, ancestry or national origin. It says they threatened the victim with phy ical harm. Bond has been et at $250,000 for Ira Tankovich, at $150 000 for Frank Tankovich and at $100 000 for William Tankovich. Magistrate Judge James tow also signed "no contact' orders, barring all three men from going near the victim or comm unicatingwith him in anyway.

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Swastika a to door of human rights center Act could amount to felony under Idaho's mallclous harassment law By Alison Boggs allsonbÂŽspokesman.com, (208) 765- 7132

Employees of the Human Rights Education Institute in Coeur d'Alene arrived at work Thursday morning to discover a swastika sticker on the front door. Director of Operations Donna Cork took a photo of the 2-inch-by-3-inch decal, then called the Coeur d'Alene Police Department, which is investigating the matter under Idaho's malicious harassment law. The 1983 law makes it a felony to intimidate another person based on race, color, religion, ancestry or national origin. Intimidation, under the law, includes defacing property, defined in part as "the placing of any word or symbol commonly associated with racial, religious or ethnic terrorism

on the property of another p rson without his or her permission." Police collected evidence Thursday morning at the institute, said Tony Stewart, of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations, which has battled the white supremacy movement in North Idaho for 30 years. ''We could get lucky and get fingerprints," he said. " ... We've had really good success over the years with the police and the prosecutors." The institute's education director, Rachel Dolezal, locked up the buiJding, 414 1/2 Mullan Ave., around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. Cork arrived around 8:30 a.m. Thursday to open the doors and saw the sticker. "I thought, 'Oh, that's a great way to start my day,' "Cork said, adding "then you get the KATHY PLONKA kathypl<a,spokesman.com heart clench." Dolezal said the sticker conveys a threat. A swastika was found on the front door of the Human Rights Education Institute In Coeur d'Alene on Thursday. See SWASTIKA, A10

0::

SWASTIKA Continued from A7

(l)

"It's a psyc h ologicaJ form of violence," she said. The institute will turn over to police any evidence gathered on its surveillance caJllera which is aimed at th~ lobby and front door Cork and Dolezal said. '

> 0 z >-" <{ 0 0::

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c.,

. "With the landscaping lights (outside), I would think there's a possibility you could tell if it's one or more people," Dolezal said. Sgt. Christie Wood, of the Coeur d'AJe.n e Police D~partment, said officers will take fingerprints, search the premises for evidence and review the video surveillance.

SECTION B I SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2009

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Vandalism deplored as hate crime Graffiti on tn,ck Includes Thur day and left his black Ford his house, where Joudeh lives F350 truck parked at the corner of with his wife and baby son. On.Friraclal slur, swastikas By Alison Boggs ansonb@spokesman.com. {208) 765-7132

A Coeur d'Alene man of Middle Eastern descent left his pickup parked downtown Thw:sday night and returned to find it spraypainted with swastikas and a racial slur and a front tire slashed. The Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations counts the incident as the seventh hate crime perpetrated in the Inland KATHY PLONKA kathypl@lspokesman.com Northwest since May co-founder Tony Stewart said Friday. Coeur d'Alene resident Haltham Joudeh woke to a call from the Haitham Joudeh, 33 who is a Coeur d'Alene Police Department on Friday morning Informing him Muslim of Jordanian descent, was that his truck had been painted with racist graffiti sometime after celebrating a friend's birthday midnight at the corner of Third Street and Coeur d'Alene Avenue.

Third Street and Coeur d'Alene Avenue. Friends drove Joudeh and his wife home around midnight, he said. . In the morning, be was notified by police that his truck had been vandalized. Two swastikas were painted on it along with a slur urging him to "go home. ' "I was born in this state. This is my home. What are they l'alking about?" said Joudeh, a University of Idaho graduate. "It make me feel like I don't belong in this place. It makes me fear for my life and my family's life. I mean, what's next? They're going to come to my house? Seriously, what's going to be next?" Someone already has been to

day morning, Joudeh foun d a racist flier from the Aryan Nations in a plastic baggie on his lawn. The flier was similar to those clistnbuted in several other Inland Northwest neighborhoods in recent months. Stewart said the vandalism of Joudeh's vehicle qualifies as a hate crime. It is the most recent in a spate of hate crimes, he said. In other incidents, a noose was left on a Spokane woman's doorstep; a wastika sticker was affix.ed to the door of a Coeur d'Alene human rights center: and Hispanic, African-American and Native American people were targeted in sevSee HATE CRIME, 83

DECEM BER 5, 2009 â&#x20AC;˘ SATURDAY â&#x20AC;˘ PAGE B3

HATE CRIME

Continued from Bl eral harassment and assault cases. "There is an escalation," , Stewart said. ''We don't know who's doing it. My suspicion is, from some of the profiles ... it seems to be more than one group involved.'' Stewart said the task force will do everything within its power to help Joudeh's family. "In all these cases," Stewart said, "if you can find the people, you prosecute them for a felony and you send them to prison. This community won't turn a blind eye.'' Coeur d'Alene police said they are investigating the incident as a hate crime. Idaho's malicious harassment law makes it a felony to deface personal property with "any word or symbol commonly associated with racial, religious or ethnic terrorism." J oudeh, a developer, said he has faced harassment since he filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Kootenai County, alleging improper denial ofa project he had proposed at Mica Bay. Joudeh's company, Jordan International, proposed a condominium stor-

age unit facility on 10 acres just off U.S. Highway 95. The case is pending in 1st District Court. Joudeh said his ethnicity was raised, in a negative light, by people opposed to the project during the first

hearing. "Nothing was done or said about it," J oudeh said. Since he filed his lawsuit, he said, he has been the subject of racist e-mails and Internet blog posts regarding his proposed project. A tort claim filed against the county as a precursor to the lawsuit alleged that the project was denied partly because of racism. Kootenai County commissioners deny that race was a factor. Board Chairman Rick Currie said the accusation is an "embarrassment to the residents of our county.'' Commissioner Todd Tondee said decisions are not made based on race; they're made based on the project. Currie also expressed anger toward whoever targeted J oudeh in the vandalism incident. "That is absolutely unacceptable," he said. "There is no place in this country for that type of action. It is something we cannot tolerate.''

PAGE AS I TUESDAY, u CEMBER 8, 2009

WWW.SPOKESMANREVIEW.COM/HOLIDAYLIGHTS POINT US TOWARD YOUR FA

"You don't have to have a lot of experience. Just come up w ith an idea and do it." Zach Bonner, founder, Little Red Wagon Foundation

At 12, boy's walked an activist's path Youth advocate wlll speak at North Idaho events By Allson Boggs allsonb@spokesman.com, (208) 765-7132

In 2004, when Hurricane Charley devastated parts of Florida, 6-year-old Zach Bonner decided to try to help his neighbors who had no water. G(!ing from door to door, pulling his red wagon, the boy asked neighoors to give up some of their stockpiled water to help those in need. The water the boy collected eventually filled 27 pickups and gave him a taste for helping others. Since then, he's started his own nonprofit, the Little Red Wagon Foundation, and has raised thousands of dollars and collected food and school supplies for needy children. He has walked hundreds of miles to raise awareness of the plight of homeless children, appeared on "Good Morning America" and received a presidential service award.

Now 12, Bonner will be the keynote speaker Jan. 15 at this year's Martin Luther King Jr. Day children's Bonner program in North Idaho. Every year, the program brings all Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls fifth-graders to North Idaho College to learn about diversity and human rights. This year the keynote speaker won't be much older than they are. "I will encourage other youth to get oot in your communities and start helping in all the ways that you can," Bonner said Monday from Florida. "You don't have to have a lot of experience. Just come up with an idea and do it" Bonner also will speak at the Kootenai County Task Force on

Coming up Twelve-year-old Zach Bonner will speak at two events: > Jan. 15: The Martin Luther King Jr. Day children!s program brings all Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls fifth-gradel'S to North Idaho College In Coeur d'Alene to learn about diversity and human rights. > Jan. 18: The Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations will hold its annual fundraising gala at the Parkside tower in Coeur d'Alene. Tickets cost $40. For more information call (208) 765-3932.

Human Relations annual fundraising gala on J an.18, to be held at the Parkside tower in Coeur d'Alene, task force co-founder Tony Stewart said at a Monday news conference. Stewart was joined by representatives from NIC and the Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls school districts. "We love. the idea of bringing young people in who have made a difference, so we can encourage our :fifth-graders, that even though they might be 10 or 11, they too can make a big differSee ACTIVIST, A7

Contact the city desk: (509) 459-5400; fax (509) 459-5482; e-

ACTIVIST

Continued from AS ence at a young age," said Pam Pratt, the Coeur d'Alene School District's director of elementary education and the director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day children's program. Bonner's actions lend credence to Pratt's words. In 2007 he walked 280 miles from Tampa to Tallahassee to bring awareness to the first-ever National

Homeless Youth Awareness Month. In 2008, he walked from Tallahassee to Atlanta for the same cause and to raise money to build a Habitat for Humanity house. Bonner solicits donations of food and supplies for backpacks be distributes to homeless and street kids. He has donated $8,000 worth of school supplies, toys, sports equipment and books, and he's held holiday parties for kids.

He wanted other children to get involved in his cause so he started 24 Hours, in which kids from across Florida simulate being homeless for one day to raise money, supplies and awareness. On April 1, Bonner plan to begin a 2,200-mile walk from Tampa to Los Angeles to raise awareness about the 1.3 million homeless youths in the country. His Web site is littleredwagonfoundation.com.

The Press, Wednesday, December 9, 2009

SECTION

C 11-year-old to speak at MLK children's program Red Wagon Foundation, a nonprofit he created when he was 8 years old to help raise awareCOEUR d'ALENE - Zach ness of the plight of the nation's Bonner, an 11-year-old F1orida homeless children. activist for homeless children, will He received the President's speak to more than 1,300 fifth. Volunteer Service award from grade students Jan. 15 during the former President George W. 2501 annual Dr. Martin Luther Bush, and he is being King Jr. Children's program. Zach is founder of The Little see MLK, C10

By MAUREEN DOLAN Staff writer

C10

The Press

MU<

from C1

on idered for an international humanitarian award to b given in January. W. love the id a of bringing young people in who have mad a differ-

North Idaho

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

o we could encour-

age our fifth-graders that ven lhougb they mighl b 10 or 1 they too, can mak a big differen e at a young age," aid Pam Pratt dir ctor of elementary ducation for the Coeur d :Al ne School Distri t ince 1986, the Martin Luther King program bas be n held at North Idaho Colleg and i pre ented through a partner h ip b tw n th Kootenai County Ta k For e on Human R lation , the Co ur d'Alene and Po t Fall chool di trict and the North ldaho College Human Equality Club.

More than 30,000 fifth. grader from Po t Fall and Coeur d'Alene have participated ince the program' inception. Zach will be thi year's peciaJ gue t speaker following the theme of "Everyday heroes. "lt' o exciting b cau e we finally have om body who is th ame age a our children," Pratt said. "Hls me age i , if you hav a pa ion, follow it, and don't let an adult tell you that you can't make a d.iffi renc because you can." Pratt, who has helped coordinate the Martin Luth r King program for more than 20 years, said it's a message Zach ha been haring with children throughout the nation. The boy gained national media attention everal year ago when h walked from Tampa, Fla. to Wa hington, D.C., and

raised thousands of dollar fo r h omeles children. He plan a cro -eoun-

try walk in April. Coeur d'Alene

uperintendent Hazel Bauman is plea ed the p rogram not only h onors Dr. Martin Luther King and hi wor k, but challenges children to do what they can to rnak a differe nce in their own

communities. "We'r e seeing that our young people are not ju t passively going to these programs and being an audience, but are actually walking the talk and doing mor and more of the e philanthropic and community service projects,'' Bauman said. Pratt said the di bicts use a portion of the donations they receive each year from The Coeur d J\lene T ribe to finance the Martin Luther King event Retired NIC politi-

SHAWN GUST/Press

Pam Pratt, director of elementary education for the Coeur d'Alene School District, announces the speaker for this year's Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations' Martin Luther King Jr. Day event during a press conference Monday at North Idaho College. ieace in tru tor and founding member of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human

cal

Relations, Tony Stewart,

"For w who have had to deal with a lot of hate and ugly ituatioos, it's an education to top that, and

the young peopl will be a adults, [ think very much crusaders for peoples' tears when the fifth-grade righ rallier than engaging tudents read e say about in hate, so w are very comtheir dream and how th y mitted to thi ," tewart said. would ch ang the world. Za h ha been invited said that during la t year's program he was mov d to

to peak a.t the Kootenai County Ta k Force on Human Relation Gala event that will take place Jan. 18 at 5 p.m. at the Park ide Tower Event Center, 601 E. Front Ave., Co ur d'Alene. Ticket are $40 per p r on, and can be purcha ed by calling 765-3932.

SECTION B I SUNDAY. DECEMBER 13, 2009

SPOKESMAN.COM/NEWS

FOR NEWS UPDATES IN THE COMMUNITY AND AROUND THE REGION

Rights lawyer recognizes bright side to doo-doo on the lawn

don't make ah.abit of openly agreeing with lawyers. That's a surefire credibility killer for a gu in my line of work.

DOUG CLARK

But r must suspend policy

today and shout "Bravo!" at the wisdom Norm Gi sel uttered th.e otherda . The North Idaho attorney was asked by a reporter to oeo-Naziknuckleheads. Police comment on the decision by gave the three misdemeanor citations this summer after Coeur d Alene prosecutors to residents complained about NOT pursue criminal littering charges against a trio of finding racist propaganda

deposited in their yard like dung from ome stray mutt The prosecutor's deci ion , didn't anger Gi sel. ln tead he looked at the bigger picture. "That is such awful literature that it's almost a net gain for civil rights to have it out there, he observed in our news tory. "The message is o grotesque and outrageous." How true. Gissel's point of view carrie weight when the ubject turns to racism.

He's the guy who orchestrated a civil lawsujt that in 2000 bankrupted the Aryan Nations and its head tarantula. the now-deceased Richard Butler.

The point being that Gissel loathes these ]atter-da goose-stepper as much as anyone can. If there were a legal way to ship these Adolf-loving fools to some remote island I'm betting Gissel would gladly chip in to help cover the moving expen e .

But thi is America. Tbi is a rare country built on bjgh-minded principles like free peech and free as embly. Which is fine and dandy most of the time. The flip side of that grand compact is that America give its lo er citizens a lot of leeway to make complete and utter as e out of th mselve . Anna Eckhart, Coeur d'Alen 's deputy attorney See CLARK, 810

CLARK

Continued from Bl

explained in our story that courts regularly side with the dfasemination of religious and political material "ov r maintaining a litter-free community or protecting private property. That may be bad news to some. But Gis el has faith in humanity's ability to discern crap when we ee it, and I couldn't agree more. Anyone with P flicker of IQ would be repul ed by the content of the Co ur cl A.Jene fliers. They depict a Caucasian woman with the message: "Love your white race." Think about it. How lacking in common sense or a meaningful life would you have to be to read that vile foolishness and be persuaded to dial the Aryan Nations' contact number? There s a certajn atisfaction to sticking these clods with littering. But prosecutors no d0ubt were correct in dropping charges against Paul R Mullet, Kevin B. McGuire and Todd N. Weston. Mullet, a veteran raci t activist, reacted to the decision as if be had won White Supremacist of the Year. ''We know we were in the right and that the Coeur d Alene Police Department wasted time, money and resources ... .' Gag me. Mullet is o lucky to live in such a tolerant nation. If being ignorant were a crime these racist mopes would be doing life without parole. Dou$' Clark is a columnist for Tlie Spokesman-Review. He can be reached at (509) 459-5432 or by e-mail at

dougc@spokesman.com.

PAGE AS I WEDNESUh, , JANUARY 13, 2010

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KEEP UP ON IDAHO LEGISLATIVE NEWS

KATHY PLONKA kathypl'o,spokesma1

Brittany Edelblute, 18, listens Tuesday as her friend Stephanie Guy, left, describes a few of the racial Incidents that have occurred In front of their Coeur d' Alene home. Edelblute's car was recently spray-painted with swastikas.

JANUARY 16. 2010 • SATURDAY• PAGE BS

THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

ROUNDTABLE LETTERS

Renew fight against hate troublesome splinter groups the message that their abhorrent Special to The Spokesman-Review beliefs and intimidation campaigns were not welcome In December 1993, under the and would not be tolerated in cover of darkn.ess, an any form or fashion. unidentified individual pitched Here in the Inland Northwest a cinderblock through the we too experienced our bedroom window of a problems with organized hate, 5-year-old Jewish boy in tolerating Richard Butler and Billings. This cowardly act was the Aryan Nations for years and the most disturbing in an failing to fully recognize them escalating pattern of hate for the scourge they were as crimes perpetrated by Skinhead they took root in this and Ku Klux Klan splinter community. In so doing, we groups attempting to establish allowed organized hate to themselves in the southeast become a l)ationally recognized Montana community. detriment to the region and, Having grown up in Montana, more importantly, to I am proud to say the significantly diminish the predominantly white Billings quality oflife for all who call the citizenry stood with the Jewish Inland Northwest home. community and all others Fortunately, in 1998, Morris targeted by the splinter groups Dees and the Southern Poverty and loudly declared, "Not in our Law Center, the Kootenai community!" They actively County Task Force on Human communicated to these Relations and Idaho attorney By Brian Spraggins

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FEEDBACK

•!•

COMMENTARY

Ken Howard joined forces to successfully sue Butler and the Aryan Nations in civil court. Their collective action effectively bankrupted the organization and enabled North Idaho and the Spokane area to largely eradicate organized hate from our midst. As a result, the Inland Northwest has become a much more welcoming, comfortable and prosperous place for a variety of people to enjoy and call home. I would also like to think it has made us much wiser and better equipped to react when signs of organized hate's resurgence begin to emerge. In recent months, organized hate has re-emerged in the form of racist fliers dropped covertly in neighborhood yards, racist vandalism and intimidation, a noose left on the front porch of a local human rights activist and Paul Mullet's recent declaration that the Aryan Nations organization is coming back to our community under his leadership. Given our history with such activity and the Aryan Nations in particular, we are uniquely qualified to understand what this activity escalation means. What's more, we should also

Column guidelines To submit a guest column about a local or regional issue. or to request guidelines, please do so by e-mail to editor@spokesman.com or by conventional mail to: Guest Columns Spokesman-Review Opinion page 999 W. Riverside Ave. Spokane, WA 99201 recognize that what organized hate groups envision for our community is a vision that is not broadly shared. I, for one, want to live in a community free of organized hate where my children can grow into compassionate, productive individuals with a healthy respect for others perhaps, most especially, those with whom they share few commonalities. I also want to live in a community that values difference and the significant benefits reaped from the hard work of successfully bridging

the gaps that often eparate u . In August 2009, law enforcement officials, city council members and mayors from North Idaho and the Spokane area joined the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations in recognizing the real and significant threat organized hate represents to our community. Together, they stood up and loudly proclaimed, 'Not in our community!" As a transplant in this community who intends to make a home here, I have a vested interest in its being a healthy environment in which to raise my family. Therefore, like the wise and noble citizens of Billings, I stand with our community's civic leader and proclaim the same: "Not in our community!" Perhaps if enough of us within this community do the same we will someday look back at 2010 as the year our community said no to organized hate's "la t stand" in our region, ensuring that it remains a relic of the pa t.

Brian Spraggins is assistant dean and director of the diversity admission program at Gonzaga University.

Act draws tears, anger Vandallsm of car follows racist epithets By Anson Boggs allsonb@spokesman.com,

(208) 765· 7132

Someone early Friday spraypainted swatikas on a car outside the downtown Coeur d'Alene home of a woman who regularly has African-American friends visiting. In addition, about two weeks ago, some men drove past the Front Avenue home in a white pickup, slowed down and yelled a racial epithet while flying a confederate flag, the residents told police. Stephanie Guy, who has rented the home for two years, called the police around noon on Friday, the Coeur d'Alene police report said. Guy's daughter, Tara Silva, told police that be went to bed around midnight the night the vandalism occurred. She was awakened by the family's dog bark-

ing around 2 or 3 a.m. but did not getup. Brittany Edelblute, 18 owns the 2004 Subaru Outback that was spray-painted with three swastikas on the driver's side, which was facing the street She discovered the vandalism in tl:ie morning when she starte~ hercartodrive to ajob interview.

"I was like Oh my God.' I cried. I went to my job interview .in tears" said Edelblute who is white and lives at the house. When police arrived her emotions · turned to anger. When asked if she wanted to press charges 'I said 'Yeah.' I paid for that car. I think it's absolutely rude." Silva described the vehicle that drove past two weeks ago as an older white pickup, possibly a GMC or Chevy with tinted windows. She thought the

Photo courtesy of Stephanie Guy

vehicle had a standard cab and a short bed, the police report said. She said the vehicle's lights were square. Guy said people have yelled racist epithets £com passing cars several times in the past year, but she hasn't informed the police. "This time I was mad," she said. ''I was really mad, and I felt threatened. People hould be aware that it's real and .it's here. This is the eighth documented incident of racial harassment in the Inland Northwest since the spring, said Tony Stewart of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations. He urged people targeted by such attacks to secure license plate number and give them to the police. Other Coeur d'Alene incidents have included a swastika

Brittany Ede lb lute's car was spraypainted with swastikas on Friday while It was parked In front of her Coeur d'Alene home.

sticker on a human rights cen~ ter, swastikas spray-painted on a MiddJe Eastern man's truck and the harassment of a Hispanic family. In pokane, a noo e was left on a black resident' door tep, and Native American men were beaten by a group of white men. "We do know it's not e same people in each case, 'Stewart said. "There's more than one group involved in the e hate crimes around the area. If you catch them, I have no doubt (l{ootenai County Prosecutor) Barry McHugh will pro ecute them and o will the federal (government). It' a matter of getting the evidence and that' the job ofthe police." The police released no new information, but the case had been as igned to a detective, said Sgt Christie Wood.

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12-year-old speaks at MLK event

JEROME A. POLLOS/Press

Zach Bonner, a 12-year-old Florida activist for homeless children, speaks to fifth-grade students from the Post Falls School District on Friday during the 25th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Children's program at North Idaho College.

Living his dream By MAU REEN DOLAN Staff writer

than 1,000 area fifth-grader a the featured gu t at the 25th annual Dr. Martin Luth r King Jr. COEUR d'ALENE - 'TI1e fir t hildr n' Program in th chuler time Za h Bonn r u d his Little Auditorium at Norl11 Idaho r d wagon to help p opl , h wa CoHeg. ju t 6. 'To thing I want you to tak 111 Florida boy, now 12. pu1led away from her today i that we all a hiny Radio Fly r on tag bav lhe ability to mak a dili r n Friday b for p aking to mor io this world," Zac:h told th kids.

He fir l gained national alt ntion in 2004 when h coll ct d 27 truckload of donation of food and wat r for vi tim of Hurrican harl y. Aft r hearing radio reports of th deva tation caused by the torm, the then 6-y ar-oJd created see DREAM, A2

DREAM from A1

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300 fliers and distributed them throughout his Tampa Bay area nerghborhood, north of Punta Gorda where the hurricane had. swept ashore. "I went the next day with my little red wagon and my sister to collect up what people had set out, but we hardly made it two houses down and looked down the street and nearly every house had something outside," Zach said. He went back home and asked his mom to help using the family's pickup truck. It took all day for them to deliver six truckloads to a warehouse distribution center. "Since it was so successful, and I had such a good time with it, I decided to branch out and ask other neighborhoods to donate using the same techniques," Zach said. The project continued for four months. When they were delivering one of the last loads, Zach hopped out of the truck and began helping unload supplies onto a pallet, as he had more than 20 times before. "I was confronted by an adult volunteer. She told me I was too little to help and I would only get in the way, and I needed to go sit in the truck," Zach said. "I was so mad that I couldn't see straight,

but I did as I was told." The experience p):ovided a valuable lesson for Zach, which his mom helped him grasp. "She told me, There's going to be people in life that are going to stand in your way and tell you you're too little, or you're not qualified. You can let them stand in your way of achieving your dreams, or you can just let their words roll off your back and you can keep going,"' Zach said. Zach carried on, founding the Little Red Wagon Foundation in 2005. Two years later, be began walking for homeless kids. Since the falf of 2007, Zach has trekked more than 1,200 miles from Tampa, Fla., to Washington, D.C., and raised tens of thousands of dollars in donations. His foundation bas provided food, school supplies and other items to meet the needs of disadvantaged youth and their families. "I have met hundreds of kids and families who are experiencing homelessness," Zach said. "They're no different than I am. They're no different than you are. They, or their families, have just stumbled upon bad times causing them to become homeless." And it's a growing problem, Zach said. He holds himself up as proof that having a lot of money experience is not a requirement for those who want to help others. ' 'You just have to have the desire to really make a difference in this world," Zach said.

He urged the students to take note of problems in their school or eom.munity, and look for people to help them make positive changes. ''You'll .learn that although you set out with a mission to help other people, it will be you that becomes a much better person," Zach said. In December, Zach earned the title "Most Inspiring Person of the Year," from Beliefoet, an online publication claiming 12 milJion readers worldwide. He's also on the short list of nominees for the 2010 Robert Burns Humanitarian Award being given next week in Scotland. The award recognizes individuals and groups for their efforts to improve and enrich the lives of others. Previous nominees include UNICEF ambassador Ewan McGregor and Bollywood actress and political activist Shabana Azmi. Since 1986, the Martin Luther King program has been held on the NIC campus and is presented through a partnership between the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations, the Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls school districts and the North Idaho College Human Equality Club. More than 30,000 fifth-graders from Post Falls and Coeur d'Alene have attended since the program's inception. Each year, the children participate with songs, dance and essay readings.

J ANUAR Y 16. 2010 â&#x20AC;˘ SA TU RDA Y â&#x20AC;˘ PAGE 83

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NORTHWEST

Youth urges peers to try to help others By Becky Kramer beckyk aJ pokesman,com,

c2os> 76s-n22

At the tender age of 12, Zach Bonner is a seasoned activist. The Florida sixthgrader has raised thousands of dollars for homeless children, organized drives that sent backpacks filled with school supplies to war-tom Afghanistan, and arranged camps that exposed his peers to the problems of poverty. On Friday, he encouraged local fifth-graders to

find ways to help others. "I'm no different than you are," Bonner told 1,400 fifth-graders from Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls. "You don't have to have a lot ofexperience. I was only 6 when I did my first project." Bonner was the keynote speaker at the 25th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration at North Idaho College, designed to raise elementary school students' awareness of human rights. More than 30,000 fifth-graders have attended

the program since it started in 1986 - the first year that King's birthday Zach Bonner was observed as a national holiday. "We believe the answer to promoting equality for all is in the field of education.'' said Tony Stewart of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations, which is one of the event's sponsors. "Edu-

cation is the only way to win the battle, and the students are such a wonderful age." Economic equality was a focus of this year's event. Bonner, who lives in Tampa, said he became an advocate for the homeless after learning that L3 million U.S. children are without permanent shelter. Over three summers, he walked 1,400 miles from his home to Washington, D.C., to focus attention on homelessness in America. His "Little Red Wagon Foundation" raises money for books and

supplies for schools with high numbers of low-income students. Bonner received a volunteer service award from former President George W. Bush. Beginning in April, he plans to walk 2,200 miles across the United States to raise additional money for homeless and street children. "Though you set out to help other people it will be you that becomes a much better person," Bonner told the crowd of fifth-graders. The message resonated

with local children. "Zach Bonner inspire me because he help the homeless people," aid Cheyenne Arellano a Borah Elementary tudent. "I wouldn't like bomeles people to starve."

EDITORIAL ,.

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King holiday a good thne to reflect on leadership In the aftermath of the 1965 civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Ala., an Associated â&#x20AC;˘ Press reporter caught up with former President Harry S. Truman during a morning walk in New York City and asked him his opinion. "There are plenty of Negro leaders, and they're good ones. Martin Luther King is a rabble-rouser. He's not a leader. He has hurt his cause, because he hasn't any sense." Remember, this is the same president who boldly desegregated the Army in 1948, so he was hardly a backward thinker. But even after King's leadership and courage led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and a Nobel Peace Prize, Truman held a low opinion of the man. A lot of people did. While complete racial harmony will never be achieved, it's a sign of progress that King's actions and words are almost universally praised today. It was easy for white leaders back then to call for incremental change or a "go-slow" approach. They weren't the victims of inequality. Similarly, the pitched battles over whether King was worthy of a holiday have subsided. There are

no serious efforts to turn back. That's not to say there aren't people who don't like the man or his legacy, but they generally have the sense to keep it to themselves. That's not to say that racists aren't in our midst, but they prefer the safety of anonymity. In the wee hours of Jan. 8, omeone spray-painted a swastika on the car of a Coeur d'Alene woman who has the temerity to invite African-American friends to her house. A couple of weeks before that, some men drove by the house and shouted racial names wh'ile flying a Confederate flag. â&#x20AC;˘ If that approach had been King's idea of courage, we would never have heard of him. Since last spring, this is the eighth documented case of racist idiocy in the region. In none of the cases did the perpetrators issue a forthright declaration of their complaints. They declined to promote their ideas in the light of day. No, it's anonymous newsletters. Drive-by taunts. Surreptitious vandalism. Flying fists against an outnumbered victim.

It's convictions without courage, which is the antithesis of Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy. So on Monday as we honor the great civil rights leader, let's also remember the power of his message. Without bullying, te:rorizing or raising of fists, Kmg's words and deeds transformed the nation's ideology on race. They quieted the snarling dogs. They inspired revolutionary legislation. Âˇ The best explanation for why King needed to march across that bridge out of Selma and "raise rabble" in general comes from Truman himself, who once said: "Men make history, and not the other way around. In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better.''

d'ALE I==::==================== www.cdapress.com

Friday January 22, 2010

Letter supports Human Rights Commission Commi ion, which Gov. Butch Otter propo ed phasing off the gen ral fund la t week. TI.1at tep could mean the Lo of the 40-.year-old commission, By ALECIA WARRE N the letter warn , and deprive tate re idents of an effective mean of Staff writer battling di criminat:ion. ''A vague notion that you can COEUR d' ALENE - A I tt r igned by 47 Idaho politician , wean an agency off of tate funding without a olid plan for an bu ine men and religiou leadalt rnativ i a thin wr ath to er i a king the Legi lature to maintain the l dabo Human Rights hang publi p licy on," aid Marc

Gov. Otter propo ed phasing group off state general fund

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Johnson, pre ident of th Andrus Center for Publi Policy in Boi e, who helped draft th letter. 'There' not what I would call a reali tic plan to date to find a ubtitute for tho tate dollar ." The biparti an group of igner include former pre idea f the Human Righ Commi sion two former governors, HewlettPackard executive and a former see HUMAN, A5

" ere's no at I would II a realistic plan to da e to find a ub itute for tho e state olla .' MARC JOHNSON, Andrus Center for Public Policy president

from A1

state attorney general. 'They recognize the importance of a diverse workplace and a state that bas a focus on human rights issues," Johnson said. 'The commission has a terrific track record of treating all parties fairly and making sure the law is evenly applied." The letter points out how the commission, which investigates and resolv.es cases of discrimination in employment, housing, education and pubic accommodations, has provided peace of mind and support for all Idaho residents. "This is not only important from a humanitarian standpoint, but it's very important from an employment standpoint," said signer Cecil Andrus, former Idaho governor and former U.S. Secretary of the Interior. "If we're trying to entice businesses to come to this state, those businesses want to have key employees, and those key employees have to know they will be treated fairly, that the days of discrimination and bigotry are gone." Andrus also contended that the savings over the commission won't help much in filling the state's $53 million budget gap for 2010.

'The budget for the commission is less than one fourth of one percent of the state budget," Andrus said. 'There are other areas that would produce a lot more savings for them than that" Tony Stewart, founder of the Northwest Coalition Against Malicious Harassment and secretary of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations, said he signed the letter because he has witnessed the commission settle discrimination matters both in and out of court. 'Their work has been very effective. The fact that they exist discourages discrimination in the first place," Stewart said. More important, he added, phasing out the commission's funding over the next four years as Otter proposed would send a poor message about a state's attitude toward human rights especially since Kootenai County was the longtime headquarters of the Aryan Nations white supremacy group, he added. "We have been stained with the reputation of the Aryan Nations," Stewart said. "If we do something like this, that reinforces that stain around the U.S. It hurts us in bringing in tourism and industry to our state."

Jon Hanian, spokesman for Gov. Otter, said the governor has never proposed shutting down the commission for good. The state has yet to nail down alternative funding sources to k_eep the commission afloat, he said. "'Those are the types of soulÂˇsearching discussions happening everywhere right now within state government," Hanian said. Every extra dollar is crucial in addressing the state's budget crisis, he added, with tax dollars more limited every day. "When he (Otter) presented the state of the state address, the next day we had $12 million less," Hanian said. "We're looking into every nook and cranny within this budget to find scarce dollars. Keep in mind, every dollar we can save elsewhere is a dollar we can put back in the classroom." The advocacy letter was released just before the Human Rights Commission's budget is reviewed today by the state Joint FmanceAppropriations Committee. JFAC member Sen. Joyce Broadsword, R-Sagle, said the Legislature must make tough cuts across the board to maintain mandated services. "In an economic crisis like we're in, we have to look at everything that uses general funds," Broadsword said. "If it's something that we need like education for our children, we have to look at those first"

If other funding resources can't sustain the Human Rights Commission without the state's help, she said, she can only sympathize. "lt's not that the Human Rights Commission isn't important, but if it had to do without the general fund for a year or two, it wouldn't go away," she said. "We might actually endanger live if we don't fund some of the programs in Health and Welfare." Sen. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint and also a JFAC member, was more optimistic. "My understanding is the commission director has been looking into what funds are and are not available," Keough

said. "1'01 confident that the Idaho Human Rights Commission will continue." The commission's director couldn't be reached for comment. Without a Human Rights Commission, discrimination issues would be settled through the federal government, Johnson said. "I think it would take longer," he said. "It would also be one step removed from Idaho." Letter signer Rabbi Daniel Fink of Congregation Ahavath Beth Israel Synagogue in Boise said he has personally known people who relied on the commission to defend their rights. "It's nice for people who feel that they're victims of human rights violations to know they have some recourse," he said. "It seems like the most basic issue of justice, really." The letter was also signed by Coeur d'Alene residents Mary Lou Reed, Norm Gissel, Christie Wood, Ken Howard and Joanne Harvey.

SPOKESMAN.COM/COLUMNISTS

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Rights P.a nel fights back Human Righ C rrnni i n may find new horn with D parbn nt of Labor By Betsy Z. Russell betsy cilspokesman.com, (866) 336Âˇ2854

BOISE - Facing a proposal from Gov. Butch Otter to phase out all its state funding over the next four vear , the Idaho Human Rights Com.mission announced Friday it's in talks with th state Department of Labor to join forces. 'We recognize the state i up against some very difficult budget challenges " Pam Parks the com-

mission s director, told legislative budget writers ÂˇFriday. State labor officials said they've identified two LEGISLATURE possible funding ource in their department that could make up the commission's lost state funding. 'We've looked through all our spendingprioritiesandtri.ed torearrange things" said John McAl-

lister, chief deputy director at Labor, which receives no state general tax funds. "We think we can handle it for the next four years." Dozens ofhuman rights leaders from around the state, including two former governors and all the former directors of the coromissio11. sent an open letter to lawmakers this week opposing the elimination of the state funding for the commission. "We need not remind Idaho state government that it was not that many years ago .t hat Idaho's image and reputation was unfairly sullied by the presence in our midst of messengers of hate and ministers of. discord," the letter

said. Tony Stewart, a founding member of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations and one of those who signed the letter said the announcement about Labor "appears to be good news." "It's very important the commission continue to have the same kind of independence it's had," he said, adding the new arrangement at Labor must allow for that Parks said when lawmakers 41 years ago passed the Idaho Hum.an :Rights Act, which the commission enforces, ''Idaho made a clear and strong declaration that we will not tolerate discrimination.' She noted that the state's reputation has

suffered from the activities of racists. "Recently we are seeing a resurgence of ugly act in our beautiful state," he said "This is not a time that we can back off our resolve." Stewart said that ioce May 2009, the Inland Northwest has seen eight documented hate crimes and such incidents are on the rise nationwide. "We need to have the comm.is ion be as active as ever "he said. The com.mission mediates discrimination claims in the state, often finding olutions before the See HUMAN RIGHTS, 86

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IN BRIEF Gonzaga professor confirmed as Judge Gonzaga law professor Rosanna Peterson wa confirmed Monday to the federal bench for the Eastern District of Washington: The confirmation vote in the U.S. Senate was unanimous. "Rosanna Peterson is a leader in the Washington state legal community," U.S. Sen. Patty Murray said in prepared remarks. "She is a great lawyer, teacher and mentor, and I believe she will make an exceptional federal judge." Peterson, who previously worked in private practice in Spokane, is Eastern Washington's first female federal judge. Staff report

Task force raised record on King Day

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The Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations raised a record amount of money at its annual gala on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The annual fundraiser, which includes a dinner and live and silent auctions, raised around $15,000 said Tony Stewart, a founding member of the task force. "We had a tremendous outpouring of support," Stewart said. "I think when there are certain crises, people tend to rally. It's the largest one we've ever had." Since spring, racist literature has been distributed to neighborhoods in Spokane and North Idaho, and police are investigating several incident of racial harassment.

Alison Boggs

PAGE AS I THURSDAY, JANUARY 28. 2010

SPOKESMAN.COM/NEWS

THE LATEST ON PEOPLE AND PLACES AROUND THE REGION

Man reports race-based assault Saturday attack follows other slowly. The occupants yelled obscenities across the tailgate. Richard Butler was lncld,nts targeting minorities and racial epithets. The man has a His- the leader of the Aryan Nations until his By Alison Boggs allsonb spokesman.com. (208) 765-7132

A man was racially harassed and asauJted hortly after midnight Saturday in Coeur d Alene wbile walking home from the grocery store. The man told police that he was walking along the 800 block of East Harrison Avenue when a red truck passed him

panic name, and his race i listed as black on the report filed by the Coeur d'Alene Police Department. The truck stopped ahead ofhim, heading north on Ninth Street, and three men got out and beat him, the man told police. They punched him in the-face twice and kicked him in the back of the head the police report said. The man described the vehicle as a "big red truck with big tires' and told police the word ''BUTLER" was written

death in 2004. The incident was reported Sunday but not released to media until Wednesday. Coeur d'Alene police Sgt. Christie Wood, a spokeswoman, said officers have more time to complete reports 'if there isn't a known suspect and someone wdn't get arrested." The incident is the latest in a series of racial harassments and assaults that have

See ASSAULT, A7

Contact the city desk: (509) 459-5400; fax (509) 459-5482; e-mail news@spokesma

JANUARY 28, 2010 â&#x20AC;˘ THURSDAY â&#x20AC;˘ PAGE A7

NORTHWEST

ASSAULT

Continued from AS occurred in North Idaho and Spokane since spring. They have included the spray-painting of swastikas on cars, a noose left on the north Spokane doorstep of a black human rights activist, and beatings of Native American and black men. Racist literature also has been delivered to neighborhoods in North Idaho and Spokane. "They're escalating. One thing we have learned over the years is when those things happen, they esca-

late, and they escalate into a series of crimes. It is so awful and it is so discouraging, ' said Tony Stewart of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations. ''With all our energy we condemn such atrocious behavior.' The man beaten on Saturday told police he was staying with his girlfciend and walked to the Safeway store on Fourth Street to get some milk. The store wasn't open, so he turned around. He was assaulted while walking back, the report said. He reported the incident Sunday around ll

a.m. Neither the man nor his girlfriend could be reached for comment. The man had fresh bruises above and below his eyes, a swollen lip and a red mark on the back of his head when a police officer met with him at Kootenai Medical Center's emergency room, the report said. When the officer called back to clarify some points, the man "said that he was leaving today and not coming back and hung up. From the sounds ofit "the officer wrote, ''he didn't want to pursue this matter."

Task force fights hate crimes Offers reward to help Crime Stoppers seek out tips COEUR d' ALENE -

The

Kootenai County Ta k Force on Human Relation i hoping money can help cat h thos b hind hate crime in North Idaho.

The organization' board of director aid Wedn day it i offering $1,000 to a i t Crime topp r to encourage p pl to t p up with information that I ad to an arr t. "We want to nd a loud me age who w are and what w tand for,' 'aid Tony tewarl, KCTFHR Âˇpoke man. The board wants to expre it "deep t on ern and

The Press, Thu rsday, February 4, 201 0

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outrag ov r the rec nt rie of hate rim that have tak n p1a in th Inland Northw t." ince May, ' ~ ,ai..i ther hav b en Stewart eight incident in the Co ur d'Alen area that in Jude people being attacked, b aten or threaten d becau

HATE

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He believe it i a mall minority behind the hate crim in North Idaho but the r nt wav of incid nts have rai ed oncern for the task force. "We want to g ton top of thi ," tewart aid. ' ur rol as a ta k fore i to b very vigilant on th e." Th KCTFHRha

of their rac or r ligion. Th organization ha de idd to pearhead a campaign lo a si t law enfor menl ag ncie in lnv Ligating th bat crime . t wart aid hate rim are happ ning throughout th United tate . "It' not ju t her , ' he aid.

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upport d vi tim of maliciou hara m nt and hat crim s with regard to both rirnlnal pro e ution a well a civil a tion for 29 years. "We hall end a me age that the p ople of oeur d'Alen , Koot nai County, North Idaho and the Inland orthwe twill nev r tol rate hat crim s or maliciou hara meot of owÂˇ citizens,' aid Mar hall Mend. KCTFHR

board memb r.

rim topp r can be reached at ( 00) 222-tip (8477); call KCTFHR at (20 ) 765-3932 For mor information, vi it lh Web ite www. crimestopp r inlandnorthwe t.org. Other organization and individual ar ncourag d to pledg mon y to a i t in finding th p rp trator of hate rime , tewart said.

3E AS I THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2010

OKESMAN.COM/BLOGS

THE LATEST NEWS FROM OLYMPIA AND BOISE

Task force joins hate crime probe Group hopes reward leads to tips on raclal Incidents By Alison Boggs allsonb a; pokesman.com. (208) 765· 7132

The Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations is offering up to $1,000 for tips leading to the solution of any of the hate crimes that have plagued the Inland Northwest since spring. The task force is working with Crime Stoppers of the Inland Northwest to collect tips and is asking other organizations and individuals to pledge money to the reward fund. That money would not be disbursed unless it led to the resolution of a hate crime, a task force news release said. ''We shall send a message that the people of Coeur d'Alene, Koo-

tenai County, northern Idaho and the Inland Northwest will never tolerate hate crimes or malicious harassment of our citizens,'' Marshall Mend, a founding member of the task force, said in a prepared statement. Recent incidents of racial harassment and assaults include a noose left on the doorstep ofblack residents, beatings of Native American and black men, spraypainting of swastikas on vehicles and the pasting of a swastika sticker on a human rights education center. Three men are due to go to trial later this month for their alleged involvement in the racial harassment ofaHispanic family in Coeur d'Alene.

How to help • Anyone with information regarding the series of hate crimes in the Inland Northwest should call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS (84n). For more information, visit www.crimestoppers inlandnorthwest.org. • Any organization or individual wishing to contribute money to the reward fund should call the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations at (208) 765-3932.

Coeur d'Alene Police Sgt. Christie Wood, a member of the task force board will serve as liaion to Crime Stoppers. The task force has supported victims of hate crimes for three decades through criminal prosecution and civil action, the release said.

Contact the city desk: (509) 459-5400; fax (509) 459-5482; e-mail news@spokesman.com

The Presa

Friday, February 5, 2010

Human rights group calls for tribal arrest power Benewah County Sheriff refuses cross-deputization

According to the bill, suspects would be sent to state court. Christie Wood, a task force leader, wrote in an open letter to ldaho BOISE (AP) - A lawmakers that B newah North Idaho human County Sheriff Bob Kirt rights group says one won't respond to calls by of the region's county the tribe for help on ressheriffs is refusing to cooperate with the Coeur ervation crimes and bas refused to initiate a crossd'Alene Indian Tribe on deputization agreement law enforcement matters. with tribal police. As a result, the Without uch an agreeKootenai County Task Force on Human Relations ment, tribal police can t currently arrest non-tribal Wednesday called for members on Indian terlegislation to allow Idaho ritory. tribal police officers to Kirts didn't immediarrest or cite non-tribal members violating state ately return a phone call law on reservations. seeking comment

PAGEA7 I FRIDAY. FEBRUARY 5, 2010

SPOKESMAN.COM/BOISE

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Sheriffs tribal policy protested Kootenai County rights group upset over Benewah County's lack of policing pact By Betsy Z. Russell betsyr@spokesrnan.com. (866) 336-2854

BOISE - A Kootenai County human rights group sent an open letter to the Idaho Legislature on Thursday saying criminals are going free in Benewah County because the sheriff there refuses to sjgn a cooperative agreement with the Coeur d'Alene Tribal Police. Benewah County Sheriff Bob Kirts vigorously disputes the letter, calJing the assertions 'ill-info rmed" and from "whiners." Coeur d'Alene Tribe spokesman Marc Stewart, however, said the information in the letter to lawmakers is similar to what

tribal police officers tell him is happening. "It causes them many sleepless nights, because they worry that someday somebody they let go is going to injure or kill somebody " he said. The problem: Without a crossdeputization agreement, tribal police officers can't arrest nontribal members, even if they catch them in the act of committing a crime. Instead, they must call on a county deputy or state trooper to make the arrest. Roughly 10,000 people live on the Coeur d'Alene Reservation, but only 1,400 are tribal members. ln the Kootenai County portion of the reservation, a cross-deputization agreement is

in place; there was a long-standing one in Benewah County until Kirts revoked it in 2007. Christie Wood, a Coeur d'Alene police sergeant and first vice president of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations, wrote in the open letter, "The failure of Sheriff Kirts to work with the tribal police has left citizens in bedlam. Perpetrators have been set free that have committed serious criminal offenses against citizens living in Benewah County. The Tribal Police have documented cases of domestic violence, driving under the influence incidents, criminal assaults, and other criminal offenses that have occurred with no arrests or prosecution." Kirts said, "My only comment is she's ill-informed or she's just plain lying or stupid." He added

"I'm not really concerned about it - I represent the people of Benewah County, this is what they want so that's what we're going to do." Wood is also the Coeur d'Alene Police Department's spokeswoman, a former Coeur d'Alene school trustee and current chairwoman of the North Idaho College board of trustees. Kirts who's been Benewah sheriff for five years, is a former state trooper and also served as Benewah sheriff from 1980 to 1988, at which time the county had a cross-deputization agreement with the Coeur d' Alene Tribal Police. "That was canceled because they started to violate people's rights by citing nontribal mem-

See POLICING, A12

Policing legislation The Coeur d'Alene Tribe is proposing a bill - which hasn't yet been introduced - to address situations where a local sheriff refuses to cooperate with local tribal police. Helo Hancock, legislative director for the tribe. said the bill was drafted wrth elements drawn from several other states' laws, including Washington's and Arizona's, along with input from Idaho sheriffs. Nontribal members would be subject only to state law and state courts, not tribal courts.

POLICING

Continued from A7 hers into .tribal courts and that type of thing/' Kirts said. "It's a law thing; it's not human relations. I don'tknowwhat the hell Christie's talking about" Wood's letter backs legislation that the Coeur d'Alene Tribe is proposing - which hasn't yet been introduced- to address situations where a local sheriff refuses to cooperate with local tribal police. As currently drafted, the bill would give tribes a six-month window to give a county notice that they want to enter into a cooperative law enforcement agreement. If an agreement isn't reached within six months, tribal police could begin enforcing state law against nontribal members on the reservation, as long as they're certified by Idaho's state police academy, the tribe carries insurance, and the tribe waives sovereign immunity to lawsuits

over officer wrongdoing. "'\'he idea was ifwe can't work out an agreement with Benewah County, perhaps the best solution is to change the law in order to give citizens a recourse if a sheriff just won't agree to cooperate," said Stewart, the tribe's spokesman. Helo Hancock, legislative director for the tribe, said the bill was drafted with elements drawn from several other states' laws, including Washington's and Arizona's, along with input from Idaho sheriffs. Nontribal members would be subject only to state law and state courts, not tribal courts, under the bill. But even before a bill has been introduced, the proposal has generated Statehouse buzz. Some lawmakers report receiving numerous calls and e-mails making allegations about what the bill would or wouldn't do. "There've been a lot of myths, a lot of misstatements of fact and flat-out lies that have been circu-

la ting about this," Hancock said. "The same tribal officers have been enforcing state law against nontnoal members in Kootenai County, five miles away, ana the sky hasn't fallen; there've been no problems. We're just trying to increase public safety for everyone on the reservation." Kirts said he's tired of hearing from ''whiners" about the issue, Âˇand said he doesn't consider tribal officers to be certified officers. "Anybody can go to our academy, but you have to be a member of a state, city or county police function to be certified in Idaho these people are not," he said. Kirts said when he was sheriff in the '80s, "We had good working relations." .He blamed new tnoal administration and "younger guys" for the problems, along with the tribe's relative wealth since it opened the Coeur d'Alene Casino.

Staffwriter Alison Boggs contributed to this report.

PAGE BB I SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7. 2010

SPOKESMAN.COM/OPINION

EDITORIAL

Bene\t\Tah sheriff's take on tribal cops wrong In a reasonable world, a public-safety measure like one the Idaho Legislature should see in the coming days would not be necessary. But sometimes the world is decidedly unreasonable like. the part under the jurisdiction of Benewah County Sheriff Bob Kirts. Kirts refuses to restore an agreement that would empower Coeur d'Alene Indian tribal police to enforce state laws against nontribal members on the Coeur d'Alene Reservation, the southern half of which lies in Benewah County. The result is a bewildering web of inefficiencies that seems to have sprung from Alice's Wonderland. If, for example, a tribal officer spots an erratic driver weaving menacingly down U.S. 95 near Plummer, he can pull the motorist over and take whatever enforcement action is necessary --: so long as the offender is a tribal member. If it's a nontribal member - and they outnumber tribal members six to one on the reservation - he has to call in either the county sheriffs office or the Idaho State Police.

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On the rural and sometimes remote reservation, that can talce hours, tying up both tribal and nontribal officers for wasteful periods. And sometimes there's no response at all, or only after such a delay that the officer has to turn the dangerous driver loose. A few miles north, in Kootenai County, it's a different story. The tribal officer would have authority to arrest the driver and send the case to state court. Kootenai County Sheriff Rocky Watson has approved the kind of agreement that Kirts refuses. Now, delete "erratic driving" and substitute "domestic violence" or ''burglary'' or other serious felonies that don't constitute major offenses that would bring the FBI to the reservation. A qualified tribal officer should not have to radio for help in such situations and wait, possibly hours, for it to arrive. In Wonderland maybe, but not in Benewah County. All of this is why the tribe is asking for a law that would establish conditions under which its officers could acquire state enforcement powers on the reservation even if the local sheriff was as unaccommodating as Kirts. One of those conditions calls for tribal officers to be certified, which they already are. The tribe would also have to carry liability insurance and waive sovereignty protection against lawsuits. That concept works in Washington, and it could work in Idaho.

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2010

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Richard Butler, pictured In December 1984, founded North Idaho's Aryan Nations compound. Me died In 2004. FILE Th Spo

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KATHY PLONKA kathypl@spokesman.com

Marshall Mend shows pictures of the flrst documented hate crime In Hayden. He ls one of the founding members of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations..

By BIii Morlln I Senior correspondent

n a small house in Coeur d'Alene, 89-year-old Sid Rosen lives out his sunset years going through his life's mementos. ,I" Tucked away in a box, the World War II veteran finds two small, dog-eared photographs of anti-Semitic graffiti sprayed on his Coeur d'Alene restaurant in 1980. ,I" The vandalism - which still angers Rosen, his son says - was one. of the first in a series of incidents that led to creation of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations.

Today, as the nationally recognized crimes, including murders and bombings group prepares to celebrate its 30th throughout the United States. The Aryan On the Wlb: View anniversary, other racist, anti-Semitic Nations held annual gatherings of photos of principal graffiti and literature have been turning hatemongers, burned KKK cro es and players in the fight against even got permits for disruptive parades up not far from Rosen's home. racism in North Idaho at There's also been a spike in racist down Sherman Avenue in Coeur d'Alene, spokesman.com/photos. activity and hate crimes in Spokane and all of which severely tarnished the other PaciÂŁc Northwest communities region's image: Most local hate activity disappeared indeed, almost everywhere in the United with a multimillion-dollar court verdict in 2000 that States. bankrupted the Aryan Nations. Four years later, Aryan Racist graffiti, acts of malicious harassment and distrjbution of hate literature in 1980 marked the founder Richard Butler died, and some wishfully thought emergence of the Aryan Nations in North Idaho, recalls hate, too, had disappeared in this region. Now, though, there are two new self-proclaimed Marshall Mend, a founding member of the human Aryan leaders in North Idaho - Gerald O'Brien and Paul relations task force. For nearly three decades, the Aryans and their splinter-group associates were responsible for a series of See HATRED, A&

ON THE RISE >> Tlmellne traces the recent escalatlon of hate crimes In the Inland Northwest. Pages A6, A7

PAGE A6 â&#x20AC;˘ SUNDAY â&#x20AC;˘ FEBRUARY 7. 2010

THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

SCOURGE OF HATRED

New rise in hate crimes

Two Native American men are beaten

Known hate Incidents In the past 14 months In Spokane and Coeur d'Alene areas:

FBI ties racist gang graffiti to skinhead groups

White supremacy gang members harass and assault two black men

November-December 2008 SPOKANE VALLEYRacist gang graffiti is sprayed on the Flora Road Interstate 90 overpass and on stop signs in Spokane Valley. The FBl's Terrorism Task Force later ties the graffiti to two skinhead groups, Vangard Kindred and Valhalla-Bound Skinheads. Suspects Identified, but not cha111ed

November 2008 SPOKANE VALLEYTwo founders of two newly formed white supremacy gangs in Spokane shout "monkey noises" at two black men sitting in their pickup in the parking lot of a Spokane Valley bar. One of the African-American men later is struck in the face by one of the skinheads. Charges flied NOV.

SOURCES: Staff research, 8111 Morlln. Alison Boggs; Staff photography; Courtesy photos

July 22, 2009 SPOKANE Two Native American men, 20 and 34, are beaten by five men armed with baseball bats and yelling racial slurs at an intersection In northeast Spokane. No arrests

FBI Investigates alleged skinhead vlolence

Hispanic famlly allegedly harassed by men suspected of having ties to white supremacists

July 24, 2009 SPIRIT LAKE A man interested in a skinhead group - Vangard Kindred - is severely beaten at a Spirit Lake home by members of the very gang he wants to Join. The 24year-old victim initially tells police his assailants were "MeKicans," but later confesses to the FBI that he was beaten by skinheads because he couldn't remember and recite a 14-word rac1st phrase.

Aug. 16, 2009 COEUR D'ALENE -Three men suspected of having ties to white supremacists allegedly harass a Hispanic family in Coeur d'Alene. Three months later. Ira Tankovich, Frank J. Tankovich and William M. Tankovich Jr. are Indicted on felony harassment charges. They now await trial.

One man charr,ed; another man's parole revoked. Ira Tankovich

Frank J. Tankovlch

WllllamM. Tankovfch Jr.

2009 DEC.

JAN.

FEB.

Aryan Nations literature distributed April 17, 2009 COEUR D'ALENE Aryan Nations literature Is distributed in Coeur d'Alene neighborhoods. No charges

MARCH

MAY

APRIL9

Two youths, one who is black, assaulted Aug. l, 2009 COEUR D'ALENE Two 15-year-old boys, one who's black. are assaulted outside the Coeur d'Alene Resort by at least five men. No arrests

JUNE

JULY

AUG.

Racist fliers distributed August 8, 2009 COEUR D'ALENE Residents living along Mullan Avenue call the police to report racist fliers being distributed in their yards. Three men. Paul R. Mullet, Kevin B. McGuire and Todd N. Weston, are cited for misdemeanor littering, but charges are dropped by prosecutors who say the activity is constitutionally protected. Charges dropped

Aryan literature distributed

August 17, 2009 SPOKANE VALLEYAryan literature is distributed at homes in Spokane Valley. Nochaf'l/es

HATRED

Continued from Al Mullet - who are fighting each other for power. There are two competing Aryan Web sites. Another splinter faction, the Aryan Nations Revival, based in New York state, dissolved last week and, according to a Web posting, threw its support to O'Brien's faction. Meanwhile, almost a dozen hate crimes have been reported in the past 14 months to authorities in Kootenai and Spokane counties. The region's spike in hate crimes follows a national trend that started after the country elected its first black president in 2008. Besides more hate groups, experts say they also are seeing an increase ih secretive, anti-government militia activity. So what does the new uptick in racist activity mean for this region, stilJ trying to improve its Aryan-tarnished image?

Some simllarltles, more differences There are some similarities between what occurred in the region in 1980 and what's occurring now. Most observers agree, however, there are even more differences. In 1980, most local, state and federal law enforcement agencies lacked special units monitoring hate groups. Police weren't trained to spot hate crimes, much less tabulate or track trends. That has changed, prompted by the deadly 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City and the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. . In 2002, the Rand Corp. delivered a congressional report that called the Aryan Nations the "first truly nationwide terrorist network in this country."

Now, anything that points to domestic or international terrorism - even something as seemingly insignificant as graffiti - is flagged to the attention of special federal task forces. "This trend is on the rise: ' Spokane-based Assistant U.S. Attorney Earl A. Hicks said of recent hate crimes in the region. "What I would tell you is, it's a bunch of thugs, and they're dangerous individuals. "The difference today is this activity is domestic terrorism," Hicks said, "and the FBI pays attention to this kind of thing more than it did in the late 1970s, early '80s." The Inland Northwest Joint Terrorism Task Force not only monitors domestic and international terrorism-related activity in this region; its federal and local officers also attempt to quietly disrupt such activity. Success stories don't always reach the public's eyes and ears. ''Hate, certainly in its violent manner, will always be around, unfortunately," said FBI supervisory senior resident agent Frank Harrill. ''Here, in this region, it's been acute in the past." But, Harrill added, "We are committed to making sure these groups don't re-emerge."

Compound provided aid and comfort There were only a couple of FBI agents stationed in Coeur d'Alene when Butler moved to rural Kootenai County in 1973. Four years later, he bung up the Aryan Nations sign on Rimrock Road - an emblem of a racist philosophy and lifestyle

that would trigger criminal cases for dozens of FBI and ATF agents in the years to come. The Aryan Nations headquarters were on a 20-acre compound - an old farmhouse and adjoining pasture Butler bought on a tree-lined hilltop north of Hayden Lake. The former aeronautical engineer from California provided his followers a bunkhouse or camping accom.moda~ons, warm meals and a racist encampment perhaps like no other in the United States. As is the case with racist leaders today Butler faced rivalry from other racists, ~d his compound was bombed m 198L He forged ahead, using his retirement savings to build his Church of Jesus Christ Christian, overseen by a guard tower draped with Nazi flags. There was an adjoining print shop that churned out thousands of racist and anti-Semitic pamphlets, books, fliers and even shooting targets silhouettes of African-Americans. By the 1990s the Aryan Nations had one of the first hate Web sites. For a time, Butler even operated a school on his compound where his folle;>wers' children could learn reading, writing and the proper way to salute a fellow Nazi. But the landmark compound and its contents were burned and bulldozed into a peace park after the lawsuit brought by the Southern Poverty Law Center bankrupted the Aryans in 2000. ''Back in Butler's days, the 'compound' was their life," said Kootenai County Sheriff Rocky Watson. "Now all that's gone," Watson said, explaining that racists now keep a much lower profile. "If~ guy's an AI;:an today in this area, you still have to find a place to eat and live."

Prisons are recruiting grounds Many of those now profes sing. aanffi.liations with Aryans, skinheads, neo-Nazjs or Odinists - followers of the nee-pagan, race-separation beliefs of a Norse god - have criminal records, including

those recruited into racist ranks while in crowded pri ons, the ripest of recruiting grounds. There were, of course, several ex-cons in the early 1980s who made a beeline for the Aryan Nations compound once they got out of various prisons. Watson said many current prison inmates believe affiliating with the Aryan Brotherhood or other white supremacy gangs will provide protection inside prison walls, although they're still in the minority of the general prison population. Many Aryan cons take their racist beliefs with them when they leave prison and join white supremacy groups on the outside. Experts say drug use and sales are common among today's white On the Wlb: View supremacists photos of principal something seldom players in the fight against seen among racism in North Idaho at racists in the spo1c......,_comJphotos. early 1980s. "Some of the other Aryan gang members we're seeing here now are hardworking laborers, construction-type guys," Watson said. ''Most people wouldn't even know their beliefs." Although Butler sometimes mumbled and was known for his less-than-articulate speeches, he nonetheless became a nationally known, iconic leader - a racist celebrity of sorts. He also became an ecumenical racist, reaching-out to other hate groups and inviting them to his annual Aryan World Congress gatherings each July, which attracted hundreds of racists and international media attention over the years. None of his would-be replacements is even close to gaining such notoriety, according to experts who track the scene. What's more, said former Kootenai County Prosecutor Glen Walker, people Butler recruited to racist ranks in the 1980s "had a potential for digging in and becoming rooted here. I don't sense that now." The Rev. Rick Morse, who was a Coeur d'Alene minister in 1980 and remembers the impact of the graffiti sprayed on Rosen'sc-estaurant, is now a

senior official with the Disciples of Christ at the church's national office in Indianapolis. He travels frequently and has visited 42 states, still mindful of racism. "It's not reflective of Kootenai County or Coeur d'Alene, but the racism I saw in North Idaho was probably some of the worst stuff I've seen anywhere '' Morse said. The area's lack of diversity still makes it an inviting environment for racists, he said. ''I don't think you can allow that and call yourself a 'civilized society,' " Morse said. Tony Stewart, a retired political science professor and founding member of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations, said while he's concerned about recent hate activity, many things have changed, mostly for the better. "They don't have a compound to operate out of anymore," Stewart said, "and it's not the same level of resolve that we saw and experienced in the 1970s and '80s. "Today I do not see - and I hope I'm right - the potential to create a compound operation with the kind of resources and organization Richard Butler had," Stewart said. "Today, they're operating out of a P.O. box, and that's a lot different than having a compound where you can feed and preach to recruits."

Internet becomes the new meeting pli,ce While the Aryan compound provided the common ground for hate in past decades, the Internet has become the new meeting place. Skinheads, Aryans and Odinists now find like-minded racists on Web sites that provide discussion forums and event listings. One new Aryan Web site has video of Butler's sermons, including his last, and clips of Aryan parades through downtown Coeur d'Alene. A case in U.S. District Court in Spokane last month underscored how the Internet has become the new favorite tool for racists. Keegan Van Tuy), the 28-year-old son of former Central American missionaries, faced revocation of his federal

See HATRED, A7

FEBRUARY 7. 2010 â&#x20AC;˘ SUNDAYâ&#x20AC;˘ PAGE A7

THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

SCOURGE OF HATRED Regional city and law enforcement leaders decry racist activity

Swastika pasted on Human Rights Institute front door Nov. 19, 2009 COEUR D'ALENE Employees of the Human Rights Institute In Coeur d'Alene discover a swastika sticker on the front door of the building on Mullan Avenue.

August 21, 2009 KOOTENAI COUNTY City and law enforcement leaders from Idaho and Washington join the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations for a press conference to decry the recent surge in racist activity.

I 2009 0

AUG.

No arrests

OCT.

Black woman finds noose on doorstep of her home Sept. l g,2009 SPOKANEA black woman who works for the Kootenai County Human Rights Education Institute finds a noose on the doorstep of her home in north Spokane. Several months earlier, someone wrote a racial epithet on the sidewalk outside her home. No arrests

NOV.

Car parked outside residence spray-painted with swastikas

Jan. 8, 2010 COEtJR D'ALENE - Swastikas are spray-painted on a car outside the downtown Coeur d'Alene home of a woman who regularly has black friends visiting. Two weeks prior, the residents say, some men drove past the Front Avenue home in a white pickup, slowed down and yelled a racial epithet while flying a Confederate flag. No arrests 2010

DEC.

Pickup spray-painted with swastikas, tires slashed Dec. 3. 2009 COEUR D'ALENE A man of Middle Eastern descent finds his pickup. parked in downtown Coeur d'Alene. spray-painted with swastikas and a racial slur, a tire slashed, and Aryan literature is left at his home. No arrests

JAN .

Han severely beaten Jan. 24, 2010 COEUR D'ALENE - A man whom pol1ce described as black tells police he was walking on East Harrison Avenue in Coeur d'Alene when a "big red truck" with the word "BUTLER" written across the tailgate passes him, the occupants yelling obscenities and racial epithets. The truck stops and the occupants get out and beat the man, sending him to the emergency room. No arrests MOLLY QUINN I mollyq@spokesman.com

FILE The Spokesman-Review

Richard Butler rides In the back of a truck during an Aryan Nations march In downtown Coeur d'Alene In 2004.

HATRED

Continued from A6

parole for being a felon in posse sion of an illegal firearm. Out on parole after serving three years in prison and living in east Spokane last year, Van Tuyl was to have no contact with white supremacists and was not to leave the state of Washington. Instead, acting on white supremacy beliefs he reportedly learned while in federal prison, Van Tuy} became the co-founder of two Odinist-skinhead groups, Vangard Kindred and Valhalla-Bound Skinheads, Hicks, the assistant U.S. attorney, told the court. The two racist groups operated with little public notice in the Inland Northwest, and Van Tuyl recruited members while he was in prison, court documents show. At one meeting last summer, 40 members and potential recruits were in attendance, according to witness accounts that couldn't be otherwise conÂŁrmed. Van Tuyl and other member of the groups were involved in several racist acts in 2008 and 2009 in the Spokane area and North Idaho, the federal prosecutor said. Another member of the group, Jacob Wilson, of Coeur d'Alene, was persuaded to testify against Van Tuyl at his parole revocation hearing last month in Spokane. Although details weren't divulged in court, it's not unusual for prosecution witnesses to avoid charges themselves by testifying. Pitting racists against each other in the courtroom is one way federal and state authorities disrupt such activity. Wil on testified that he and Van Tuyl and other skinheads would "go coon hunting" looking to maliciously harass or assault African-Americans. uch attacks allow skinheads to "~arn red laces" to wear in their boots. In the parking lot of Bottoms Up bar in Spokane Valley in November 2008, Wilson testified he and Van Tuyl "made monkey noi e " when they saw two black men in a truck. Van Tuy] later punched one of the men in the face; the black men drove off promising to retttrn with a gun, but didn t

FILE The Spokesman-Review

Human rights activist Tony Stewart: "Today, they're operating out of a P.O. box, and that's a lot different than having a compound where you can feed and preach to recruits!' Wilson testified. On other outings, Wilson said he and other skinheads sprayed graffiti on an Interstate 90 overpass at Flora Road in Spokane Valley including ''VBX88" - a reference to Valhalla-Bound Skinheads and the 88 standing for "HH," or "Heil Hitler."

Face book-style Web site for racists But it was the Internet, not graffiti that the two racist groups primarily used to recruit. J ason Shawn O'Dwyer heard about Vangard Kindred through a Facebook-style Web site that allows racists to meet like-minded friends. "I knew it was a skinhead group, O'Dwyer testified. "I wanted to learn more about Odinism." The 24-year-old testified that he took a few vacation days and drove last July to a Spirit Lake, Idaho, home where Van Tuyl and other skins hosted an Odinist "rote." Although billed as an Odinist religious ceremony, the daylong event turned out to be filled with beer-drinking, racist videos and music, a trip to a Spokane Valley motorcycle shop, getting tattooed and more drinking around a fire pit at the Spirit Lake home, O'Dwyer testified. At sundown, as the half-dozen racists continued swilling beer, O'Dwyer wa asked to recite and remember the "14 Words" of the late David Lane: "We must secure

the existence of our people and a future for white children." Lane, an Odinist and former Klansman, was a confidant of Butler before becoming a founding member in 1983 of a splinter group known as The Order - labeled a domestic terrorist organization by the FBI. I started getting hit because I wasn't reciting the '14 Words' correctly," O'Dwyer testified. The skinhead-wannabe was punched and kicked by at least three men, one of whom had brass knuckles. At one point, a knife was held to his throat and his glasses were knocked from his face, smashed and kicked into the fire pit. His skinhead assailants continued kicking him as he lay on the ground, and one urinated on him O'Dwyer testified. He staggered to his pickup to get away, where the attackers spotted O'Dwyer's diabetic syringes and called him a "doper," renewing the assault and demanding $50 for a tattoo, he testified. "l pulled my money out and threw it at them," O' Dwyer said. With two blackened eyes, a skull laceration and the onset of a diabetic seizure, O' Dwyer drove away, stopping at a gas station where he called police. He told officers he had been assaulted ''by a carload of Mexicans," because, he testified he feared retaliation from the skinheads whose group he had wanted to join. O'Dwyer was at a Coeur d Alene mediC'iil C'PntPr UPttina

treatment when an FBI agent as igned to the terrorjsm task force showed up after getting a phone tip about the a sault. When th agent challenged O'Dwyer's claim that he was assaulted by Hispanics, the beating victim confessed he had lied and said his attackers were skinheads. Then the FBI agent used his cell phone to show O'Dwyer various photos of known white upremadsts, leading to the identity of Van Tuyl and other involved in the assault. Soon thereafter, Van Tuy1 was back in jail. His federal parole revocation was referred to Hicks a federal prosecutor who prosecuted i.m.ilar Aryan cases in the 1980s.

Rosen stlll worried, son says Van Tuyl, who has an Odinist tattoo on the back of his shaved head, told the court he was "just an ordained Odinist minister'' whose acts were misinterpreted and exaggerated by the FBI. U.S. Di trict Court Judge Lonny Suko didn't buy that The judge followed the prosecutor' recommendation that Van Tuyl be sent back to federal prison for 24 months to be followed by 180 day in a halfway house and one year of parole. While under that supervision, Van Tuy! will be ordered to have no contact with white supremacists. Hicks said he would write to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons recommending that Van Tuy! be put in maximum security lim.iting hls contact with others "so he can't recruit." "It's all we can do, ' Hicks said, "because he basically has said be won't stop.' That case and other racist acts in the region still worry Sid Rosen, who has lived in Idaho since the war against Nazi Germany ended more than 60 years ago, aid his on, Joe. "He just can't believe that it's still going on,' Joe Rosen said of his father, who is battling health issues. "He can't understand why we all can't get along and why some people are just so ignorant." Bi/1 Morlin is a former reporter for The Spokesman-Review who spent 30 years covering the Aryan Nations and extremist groups. He can be reached at bmorlin@gmail.com.

PAGE A9 I TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2010

SPOKESMAN.COM/OPINION

EDITORIAL

Merger saves ntoney, keeps iinportant w-orkalive When Idaho Gov. Butch Otter set the Idaho Human Rights Commission on a four-year glide path to extinction, some innovative thinkers took charge. Now it looks as if the commission will be merged with the state Department of Labor and the important mission will be preserved. The commission gets $600,000 a year. Otter wanted to reduce that to $396,000 in fiscal year 2011 and ultimately eliminate funding. As soon as that was announced, officials sought a solution. They noted that other states have placed such commissions inside labor departments since both agencies handle discrimination complaints. The commission unanimously approved such a merger aftei being satisfied that it could effectively carry out its duties. The Legislature will still have to approve of the move. The Department of Labor is financed with employment taxes and federal funds. It gets no money from the state's general fund, so Otter would get the savings he seeks. He lauds the merger. We do, too, because it

EDITORIALS

â&#x20AC;˘!â&#x20AC;˘

COMM

;hows the kind of creative thinking To respond online, click on Opinion all governments should be doing to under the Topics menu at save money in times of fiscal crisis. www.spokesman.com. Actually, they should do this as a matter of course. DIRECT QUOTE The death of the commission would have been a huge blow to the strides the state has made in addressing the national perception that it is a hotbed of bigotry. That work needs to continue. The commission dealt with more than 500 complaints in the 2009 fiscal year. The battle to defend human rights needs to stay in the forefront. Many human rights activists and two fortner governors signed a Today, they're operating out letter that stated the importance of of a P.O. box. and t hat's a lot the mission. Tony Stewart, a different than having a founder of the Kootenai County compound where you can Task Force on Human Relations, was one of them. He is encouraged feed and preach to recruits." that the merger will preserve this Human rights activist Tony Stewart important work. Differentiating the racist groups that operate In the Inland Northwest today from the Aryan Nations Last year, racist activities organization that once plagued the area experienced a bit of a revival in North Idaho. Ending the commission would have sent the wrong message about this governmental priority. The merger has been rightly characterized as a "win-win." It saves money; it maintains the mission. But to people who want to disseminate messages of hate or engage in discrimination, it's probably seen as bad news. That's good news.

PAGE A13 I WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10. 2010

SPOKESMAN.COM/OPINION

EDITORIALS

â&#x20AC;˘!â&#x20AC;˘

COMME

EDITORIAL

Bigotry's embers need constant ntonitoring "... the flames ofSaturday night's cross might be out, but the kind of needless hatred and bigotry they spread apparently isn't going to be quickly snuffed." So ended Spokane Daily Chronicle reporter Bill Morlin's account - on Oct 5, 1981 - of his and a freelance photographer's frustrated attempt to cover an invitation-only cross-burning at the Aryan Nations compound in North Idaho. How right he was. Over the ensuing two decades, Richard Butler's racist cancer ravaged the Inland Northwest, tattering the region's reputation in the eyes of the nation, straining its tolerance for outlandish opinions and, worst of all, terrorizing minority segments of the area's population. The uplifting sidelight of this sorry 20-year episode is that it brought forth the decency and courage of the North Idaho community, which assembled a nationally acclaimed human rights response to Butler and his recruited imports. By the tum of the century, the Aryans had gone too far, bringing upon ~emselves a crippling lawsuit.

Today, Butler is dead. The compound has been bulldozed. The Aryan Nations Church and its Sieg Helling jackboots are last week's bad dreams. Good riddance to all. Still, the embers left on the North Idaho ground more than 28 years ago smolder on. As Morlin reported in a freelance article published in Sunday's Spokesman-Review, overt racism is struggling to make a re-emergence in the Inland Northwest Eleven apparent hate crimes have been reported in the region over the past 14 months, although only a couple resulted in arrests or charges. Fortunately, the tribulations of the 1980s and '90s left the area better equipped to deal with the returning threat. For one thing, law enforcement agencies now understand the situation. Civic organizations such as the Kootenai County Task F.orce on Human Relations are alert and organized And the racist elements appear less cohesive than the neo-Nazi network that surrounded Butler. Harassment and intimidation, whenever and wherever they occur, must not be underestimated. They are tools of domestic terrorism. Human nature being what it is, we will never fully douse the glowing coals of bigotry. For that reason, even as one threat is removed, a Yigilant community must be resolved to detect and repel the next